Manchester United announce the departure of chief scout Jim Lawlor

Manchester United have announced the departures of chief scout Jim Lawlor and fellow talent spotter Marcel Bout.

United have confirmed that Lawlor (Chief Scout) and Bout (Head of Global Scouting) have left the Red Devils.

According to a statement by the Red Devils, both are leaving with "our warmest thanks for their performance and our best wishes for the future".

The departure of the scouting pair comes at a time when Ralf Rangnick, current caretaker manager, will take up a recruitment consultancy role from the end of this season.

Lawlor has been chief scout for 16 years after he was brought in under Sir Alex Ferguson in 2005.

The 57-year-old Irishman was given a new role six years ago overseeing an expanded network of scouts at United, but the system is expected to change again this summer.

Bout joined United as part of Louis van Gaal's backroom team in 2014 and was appointed United's head of global scouting two years later.