Marcel Bout, chief opposition scout at Manchester United (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images)
Marcel Bout, who headed up Manchester United’s scouting system for six years, has blasted the Glazers for hindering the club in the transfer market.
The Dutchman joined United in 2014 when Louis van Gaal was appointed and initially worked as a specialist in opposition scouting.
But two years later he was made United’s chief global scout, and tasked with scouring the world for the next emerging talents.
Van Gaal was unhappy with the club’s scouting system when he joined, and felt Bout could help identify players for the Red Devils.
United missed out on a host of top players during Van Gaal’s time, with the club failing in moves for Mats Hummels, Sergio Ramos, Ilkay Gundogan, Sadio Mane, Thomas Muller, Gareth Bale and Harry Kane.
That led Van Gaal to label United a ‘commercial’ club in 2022, and Bout, who left the club in the same year, agrees with him.
Van Gaal and Bout. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
‘I could have been an ideal guide for Ten Hag within the club,” Bout told Algemeen Dagblad.
‘But Manchester United is not only a fantastic club, but also a difficult club.
‘Everything is politically and commercially driven. My dismissal was a political dismissal. An influential Dutch bloc (at the club)… Not everyone liked that.
‘I have been critical (of United) internally. A major annoyance was the long lines (delays) within United to make decisions about interesting players. Other top European clubs now have top players that we had seen early on with the scouting staff.’
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Two players that Bout felt United should have moved for both played for Ajax – Matthijs de Ligt and Frenkie de Jong.
Bout argued United should use the influence of former player Edwin van der Sar, who was CEO of Ajax at the time, to ensure a steady supply of players to Old Trafford.
‘[We needed to] Make sure that United makes a deal early on for these types of talents. Then you can always let them develop for a while in the Netherlands,’ I said.’
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