Manchester United have hired two new scouts who will be tasked with specialising in 'the London area.'
United are continuing their overhaul at academy level despite the recent departure of former head of first-team development Nicky Butt, with a greater emphasis on homegrown talent.
Newly appointed Football director John Murtough and technical director Darren Fletcher spoke at the club's latest fans' forum on April 16 in which Murtough spoke of new plans to rejuvenate the scouting process.
"The northwest area remains important to ensure we convince the next Marcus (Rashford), Jesse (Lingard) or Mason (Greenwood) to play for United," notes from the forum read.
"The scouting network across the rest of the UK have also been strengthened. Recently, two new scouts have came on board to focus on the London area. The club’s tradition of looking at bringing in the best 17/18 year olds from across the world will also continue."
United have also reiterated the importance of the academy system as an integral part of the wider identity of the club, with a keen desire to perpetually prolong their record of having named a homegrown player in every single matchday squad since 1937.
The notes add: "The pipeline from the academy to the first remains very important. There is a real benefit of having the likes of Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) and Darren here who were anchored to the real Manchester United in terms of the core values of what we want to try and do.
"The record of having homegrown players in our matchday squad is a by-product of the good work that goes on within the academy. There is also pride in developing players who go on to have a good career at other clubs or in being successful outside of football."
United's focus on signing the best homegrown talent coincides with a new points-based work permit system following Brexit which makes it more difficult for Premier League clubs to sign youngsters who haven't played international football.
It also virtually bans the signing of players under the age of 18 from foreign countries.
Speaking at the start of the year United's head of academy Nick Cox lifted the lid on what new Brexit criteria means for the club going forward.
"Brexit will change the dynamics of recruitment for all English clubs moving forward, which will require us to take a different approach moving forward," he told MEN Sport.
"The most successful youth teams and first teams over the years have been a mix of the very best local players that understand the club's history and culture, and their job is to educate the best talent from around the world when it arrives.
"And when it arrives from other places, their job is to bring the innovation and bring their experiences to add to experiences the players can have as a collective."
