Man United consider former Celtic recruitment chief for key role

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English Premier League side Manchester United are reportedly interested in former Celtic recruitment chief Lee Congerton for the role of Sporting Director.

The Telegraph report that United are considering several potential appointments with Lee Congerton in contention.

Congerton is currently the Head of Senior Recruitment at Atalanta, having left Celtic in May 2019 to link up with Brendan Rodgers, who joined the Foxes three months prior from Celtic.

Congerton joined Celtic in March 2017 as the Head of Recruitment. In just over two years at the club, he signed players such as Odsonne Edouard, Lewis Morgan, Marvin Compper, and Youssouf Mulumbu in an underwhelming spell. Edouard stood out as the only overwhelmingly positive signing during his tenure. Edouard was signed permanently in the next summer of 2018 for £9 million and later sold to Crystal Palace in 2021 for £14 million with potential add-ons of £4.5 million.

Although Congerton was highly regarded by Rodgers, he did not demonstrate an outstanding level of recruitment that would warrant a move to Manchester United. Congerton’s link with Old Trafford will likely come as a surprise to many Celtic supporters.

Congerton was also criticized for his recruitment of players at Leicester City. While Wesley Fofana and Youri Tielemans were undoubtedly successes, signings like Ryan Bertrand and Jannik Vestergaard left a lot to be desired. Fofana joined Leicetser in September 2020 for £35.6 million from Saint Etienne and was sold to Chelsea in August 2022 for £70 million plus £5 million in add-ons.

Congerton left Leicester City in March 2022 and has since worked at Atalanta. His most notable signing, Rasmus Højlund, was signed in August 2022 for around £14.85 million. Atalanta were able to make a substantial profit on Højlund this summer, selling him to Manchester United for an initial £64 million with the potential for £8 million in add-ons.

Although Congerton’s time at Celtic was far from a success, he has shown in recent years at Leicester City and Atalanta that he is capable of identifying hidden gems and selling them on for a large profit.

However, at Manchester United, his role would likely involve signing players who will, through time, become first-team regulars and spend the majority of their careers at the club, as there is no need to prioritize selling players like at Atalanta or Leicester City.

This would undoubtedly be Congerton’s largest challenge at United, adapting to a club where signings aren’t brought in with the idea of selling for profit in mind. Instead, the aim is to sign players who will one day become legends of the club and bring back success to the Red Devils, who haven’t won the English Premier League in just over a decade.