United strike AI deal to gain edge on rivals

MANCHESTER United are turning to artificial intelligence in a bid to outsmart their top-flight rivals. The club have teamed up with Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport to ‘drive elite performance’ and look for a ‘competitive advantage on the field’. AI will enable United analysts to process large volumes of data faster during games and inform key decisions by manager Erik ten Hag and his staff.

It will include tracking players and combining that data with different phases of the game to see what is working best and where changes are needed, while live feedback on players will flag up any warning signs that could lead to injuries.

In-game analysis of opponents may be combined with historical data to highlight areas where games could be won and lost.

The deal with Manchester Metropolitan University will give United access to the institute’s research and innovation studies through a series of PhD programmes that include using AI to develop analysis techniques and metrics not yet available to top-flight rivals.

The initiative was agreed with the university last year, before Ineos owner Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion investment, and has been led by United’s director of football insights and innovation Richard Hawkins and deputy football director Andy O’Boyle.

United’s football director John Murtough said: ‘Working with the Institute of Sport will build on our excellent existing research and innovation teams in order to further enhance the performance and development support we are able to provide for our players.’

The new techniques will be trialled in training — where all first-team sessions at Carrington are routinely filmed by overhead drones — before being used in a match scenario.

Some of the new roles will be based at United as full-time members of staff. Others will involve working at the institute, sharing research with the club.

Meanwhile, United goalkeeper Andre Onana is set to start for Cameroon against Senegal today after missing his country’s Africa Cup of Nations opener.

Anthony Martial will stay until his contract runs out in the summer, according to agent Philippe Lamboley who says he may need surgery on an adductor issue.