Manchester United appoint five new staff members as Carrington plan takes shape

With the recent overhaul of Manchester United's nutritional department, punters might consider betting on enhanced player performance and potentially improved team results in upcoming matches, especially as new culinary innovations are introduced.

Manchester United's nutritional department has received a significant shake-up. Omar Meziane left his position as first-team head chef in December to join McLaren's Formula One team, and Thomas Maynard left his role as first-team performance nutritionist at the end of last season.

The department is now essentially brand new after the appointments of Will Carvalho (head performance chef), Marcus Hannon (head of sports nutrition) and Filipe Sousa (first-team nutritionist). Carvalho joined United from Brighton, where he worked as the executive performance chef from 2013. He previously worked for Scottish Rugby, Gloucester Rugby and Brazil’s women’s team.

Hannon joins from Qatar's Football Association, but he has previous Premier League experience after working as the head of nutrition at Aston Villa between 2020 and 2022. Sousa previously worked for Portuguese clubs Vitoria Sport Clube, F.C. Famalicao and FC Vizela.

Furthermore, United are in the process of hiring a senior sous chef and an academy nutritionist. Hanna Zouggari (women’s first-team nutritionist) and Rachel Fleck (women’s academy performance nutritionist) have also been appointed.

United's job advert for senior sous chef read: "As senior sous chef at Manchester United’s world-class training ground, you will play a key leadership role within the culinary team, supporting the head chef in delivering exceptional, nutritionally balanced meals tailored for elite athletes and staff.

"This role demands culinary excellence, operational discipline, and a deep understanding of dietary requirements in a high-performance sports environment. The senior sous chef will assist in managing day-to-day kitchen operations, driving innovation in menu development, maintaining the highest food safety standards, in a motivated team committed to performance nutrition, service, and quality."

United's players have reported back to Carrington for the beginning of pre-season and will play their opening friendly of the summer against Leeds in Stockholm, Sweden on July 19.

Manchester Evening News