Man Utd figure announces move to Newcastle amid wholesale changes

A key member of staff at Manchester United has announced he is leaving.
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Andy Basterfield, Manchester United’s academy football in the community manager, has announced he is leaving the club and joining Newcastle United.

The Red Devils supporter confirmed the news via social media, which ends his 12-year association with the Red Devils. In a tweet, Basterfield wrote: “Excited to have been offered & accepted the role of NW Regional Scout  (U13’s-U18’s) @NUFC Newcastle United.

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“Fantastic Club, Great Aspirations, Ambition, & Incredibly Passionate People. Look forward to the Challenge, Networking, & Offering Real Value to the Club.”

Basterfield, who was previously employed by The FA, Manchester FA and Chester FA, worked in United’s community engagement programmes and grassroots set-up, but was primarily tasked with spotting talented youngsters to join the club’s ranks. He also ran and maintained the club’s talent identification programme in the North-West.

The likes of Marcus Rashford, Scott McTominay and Anthony Elanga were all spotted by United at a young age and progressed into the first team, continuing the club’s long-held tradition of integrating youth talent. In 2022, United’s impressive underage side won the FA Youth Cup, while the youth-team progression at Old Trafford stretches back to include the ‘Class of ‘92’ and the ‘Busby Babies’.

As for Newcastle, since their takeover in 2021, the club have set about restructuring their academy under the watch of sporting director Dan Ashworth. As per our sister site NewcastleWorld, the Magpies have hired several positions including head of youth recruitment, head of national youth scouting U13s to U18s and lead academy scout U9s to U14s, among others.

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