Mercedes F1 director of data Mike Sansoni makes switch to Manchester United

In addition, United have confirmed the appointment of Kirstin Furber as people director. File picture: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Mike Sansoni has been named as Manchester United's director of data and tasked with turning them into a "data-led organisation".

The club have turned to Formula One to fill a role that was vacant following Dominic Jordan's Old Trafford exit last year.

Sansoni joined United as director of data after 11 years with Mercedes-AMG Petronas team, where he was most recently senior performance engineer.

United's minority owners Ineos have 33.3 per cent share of the F1 team and the PA news agency understands Sansoni started with the Red Devils earlier in the summer.

Will Sansoni make a seamless transition from Formula One to soccer? File picture: Bradley Collyer/PA Wire.

The Premier League club said: "Reporting to Omar Berrada, chief executive, Sansoni will be responsible for transforming the club's capabilities in data and artificial intelligence, drawing on his experience in machine learning and advanced modelling in Formula One.

"He has been tasked with establishing Manchester United as a data-led organisation, embedding predictive and AI-driven decision-making across football and the wider club.

"To support these objectives, further recruitment is planned into a number of data, software and platform engineering roles in the coming months, as Sansoni builds out his team."

In addition, United have confirmed the appointment of Kirstin Furber as people director. She joins in the autumn after five years in the same post at Channel 4.