Manchester United have poached two highly rated academy scouts from local rivals Manchester City, as the battle between the two clubs intensifies off the pitch.
Dave Harrison and Lyndon Tomlinson are currently on gardening leave at City, and will reportedly join Manchester United in the New Year,according to theDaily Telegraph.
Harrison and Tomlinson are regarded as beingamong the top academy scouts in the country, and have been instrumental in the academy recruitment process at Manchester City.
The news comes as something of a coupfor Manchester United, who earlier this year conducted an internal review. The review concluded that wholesale changes were needed to the way players were scouted and recruited at the club.
It is also reported that United are keen to lure another two academy scouts across to Old Trafford, which if acted upon, would be a severe blow to Manchester City who have already reportedly doubled the wages of current staff to prevent poaching from rival clubs.
Dave Harrison had been with Manchester City for eight years after joining them from Leeds United. At United, Harrison will be in charge of the club's recruitment for players under the age of 23.
Meanwhile Tomlinson had only been with the club since October 2014 and will assist Harrison in his approach.
The news comes at a vital time for ManchesterUnited, who have recently struggled to stop their youth players moving to City such as James McAtee and Noah Ohio. United have also had several managerial changes and are already facing an uphill task to get into the top four.
City's aggressive recruitment strategies have ruffled feathers in the Premier League already with rivals Manchester United and Liverpool complaining of sudden fixture swaps at junior level.