McKenna: New Head of Recruitment Williams Will Play Key Role Friday, 1st Apr 2022 15:24 Town boss Kieran McKenna says incoming head of recruitment Sam Williams is going to play a key role behind the scenes as the club develops. The Blues announced on Wednesday that Williams would be joining the club on April 11th from his current role as a first-team recruitment analyst and academy scout at Manchester United, having previously worked at Bolton Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday. “Sam’s obviously someone I know from Manchester United but not very well, to be honest,” McKenna said. “I wasn’t deeply involved with the recruitment team and the recruitment side of things at United and with the last couple of years of Covid, the recruitment team has worked from home while the training ground has been pretty much exclusively for the first-team coaching staff and players. “He’s not someone I’ve had a deep relationship with. [Assistant manager] Martyn Pert was more involved in that side of things at Manchester United and had a good relationship with the recruitment analysts there and thought very highly of and had a good relationship with Sam. “I know that it’s an area of the club that the club has been looking to develop and wants to develop considerably over the next couple of years and could make a big difference for us. “So there was a full process run from Mark [Ashton, CEO], Martyn and [director of football operations] Gary Probert especially where they spoke to a lot of different candidates, Sam being one of them, and I think all parties were unanimous that he was the best candidate and fits the profile really well to come here. “From my point of view, it’s another hungry staff member. A good age to still progress in his career and he wants to develop in his career but has already has had a wide range of experiences at a very young age. “He has had experience at different levels throughout the game and in conversations with him you can tell how hungry and how proud he is to come to the football club and to make an impact. “I think he really fits the bill for what we’re developing here behind the scenes and we’re looking forward to having him start in a week or so’s time and I think he’s going to be a key part of the club here behind the scenes as we develop the club going forward.” Meanwhile, McKenna has defended one of the players he worked with at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire, who was booed ahead of England's 3-0 win against Ivory Coast during the international break. Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate labelled the jeers “an absolute joke” and McKenna backed the Red Devils captain. “I think Harry is a fantastic professional,” McKenna said. “He's been a fantastic player for England, has had two very, very good major tournaments, was in the Team of the Tournament at the Euros last summe, and I think had scored maybe two or three goals for England and a hatful of clean sheets since. “Harry, for me, is a top professional, a top player, a top person, and is strong enough to deal with criticism. But it doesn't mean that it's right or it doesn't mean that he should always face it in that way. “He doesn't need my backing or anyone else's backing and I think he knows what he is and who he is, and he's strong enough to come through the tough, tough spells that everybody has in their careers.”
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