Manchester United’s new director of global talent will be tasked with finding players to fit into Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad and who are capable of playing in the style the Dutchman is set to implement in his third season in charge.
Vivell started work in the short-term role on Thursday but his stay at Old Trafford could yet be made permanent. He will report to sporting director Dan Ashworth, who started at the club earlier this week.
The 37-year-old spent seven years working in recruitment roles and as a technical director for the Red Bull network of clubs, before a short stint as technical director at Chelsea.
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Vivell made his name in recruitment at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig and he will lend that expertise in spotting talent from around the world to United, with the chief aim of recommending players capable of slotting into the first-team squad.
He will also play a role in identifying younger players for United and will draw up a development pathway for any emerging talent, showing them a route to the first-team squad and how they would fit in stylistically.
Vivell will report directly to Ashworth, who will lead all football departments for the men, women and academy, and will oversee technical, performance and operational areas. Ashworth will report to chief executive Omar Berrada once he starts next Saturday.
Technical director Jason Wilcox will also report to Ashworth. He joined the club from Southampton in April and part of his responsibility will be to lead on all first-team recruitment.
Wilcox is also tasked with working with Erik ten Hag and the first-team coaches on implementing a clear style of play, or a ‘game model’ as Wilcox has termed it.
The former Manchester City academy director will work to reproduce that game model into a clear methodology that can be implemented across the men’s first team and throughout the academy.