Things haven’t been going well for the Utah Royals this season. After starting their 2025 NWSL campaign on a poor note, they continue to struggle on the pitch and currently sit at the bottom of the table. In response, the Salt Lake City-based club is making changes both on and off the field, the latest being the appointment of former Manchester United staff member Harvey Bussell.

Sure, one may argue that a win, three draws, and 11 defeats in 15 regular-season games should eventually be addressed by the head coach or players. Then again, accountability also extends beyond those on the pitch, reaching into other sporting aspects and the efforts of those working behind the scenes to ensure the proper functioning of the club.

And from the looks of it, the Royals are making the right moves in their own way, notably with the signing of the Red Devils Women’s head of player recruitment, at least according to The Athletic. Harvey Bussell will be leaving the WSL giants to take up the same role with the American side. He is set to make his departure at the end of the summer transfer window, which, of course, means assisting the English side with their sporting decisions one final time.

Speaking of the man himself, Bussell joined United in October 2022 from Millwall, initially as a talent scout. Within a year — in June 2023 — he was promoted to head of player recruitment and, over the past year, has worked closely with director of football Jason Wilcox to establish a data team. Though this season Manchester United may have signed just one player, Swedish midfielder Julia Zigiotti Olme, Bussell’s tenure has certainly witnessed the club securing several impactful signings.

Some of those notable names include Brazil’s Geyse, Japan’s Hinata Miyazawa, World Cup winner Irene Guerrero, England’s Gabby George, USWNT goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce, Netherlands’ Dominique Janssen, France’s Melvine Malard, Canada’s Simi Awujo, and Wales defender Gemma Evans.

Then again, several have even departed from the red side of Manchester, including Geyse, Guerrero, and Evans, along with other major departures such as former captain Katie Zelem, ex-England goalkeeper Mary Earps, and Spain’s Lucia Garcia. Either way, Bussell’s efforts have surely seen him help the club achieve significant milestones.

The end of the 2024-25 campaign has seen Manchester United Ladies secure a third-place finish in the Women’s Super League, also helping them to secure their UEFA Women’s Champions League spot, albeit they require playing the qualification stages first, breaking their year-long European absence as well.

Worryingly for United, Bussell isn’t the first member of the backend staff to leave the club this summer. In fact, he is the fourth, following the earlier departures of assistant coach Charlotte Healy, who was appointed head coach of Bristol City; goalkeeping coach Ian Willcock, who left after nearly seven years to take on the same role with the Canada Women’s national team; and assistant coach Lawrence Shamieh, who is set to join Tottenham Hotspur in a reunion with newly appointed head coach Martin Ho.

This raises the question of whether Manchester United themselves are in a difficult spot, but the Red Devils are expected to bring in replacements for all these departures. As for the Utah Royals, they will now have to decide how best to utilize the former WSL man. Our guess is that his top priority will be to retain their biggest talents from leaving and, if they do depart, ensure quality reinforcements come in, especially in light of the club’s own recent high-profile exit.

Utah Royals robs Peter to pay Paul!

Last week, the Utah Royals announced the exit of their talented forward Ally Sentnor to the Kansas City Current. The 21-year-old has joined their NWSL rivals for a whopping $600,000 fee. Surprisingly, the USWNT star had only played for the Salt Lake club for a little over a season after having joined as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NWSL Draft. But now she looks set to move away 1,079 miles.

In financial terms, the deal is pure bliss for the Royals, who have already received the initial 50% — around $300,000 — with a further $200,000 set to be transferred next year, followed by the remaining $100,000 in 2027.

It doesn’t end there, as they could also earn up to an additional $100,000 down the line, depending entirely on performance-based add-ons, according to a source familiar with the deal. Furthermore, a future sell-on clause remains in place, with Utah potentially receiving 20% in the event of any future transfer.

Then again, it certainly comes at the cost of losing out on a big talent like Ally Sentnor. Perhaps that’s why the Utah Royals decided to work on their foundation and bring Harvey Bussell as head of player recruitment. With his remarkable expertise, the new arrival will certainly help the NWSL side spend such money wisely.