Manchester United are lining up a data scientist hire.
The Athletic says United are intending to employ a data scientist in the coming weeks in a move which would see them emulating bitter rival Liverpool.
There have been rumours for a number of weeks that United are looking to change things structurally, and they are said to be considering employing a director of football following criticism of their transfer strategy this summer.
A data scientist is somebody they want to study a number of performance indicators - such as medical and recruitment - in order to improve the team.
And a shortlist of candidates has been whittled down, with an appointment expected by the end of next month.