'Welcome addition' - Newcastle United confirm swoop for former Manchester United man

Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed the arrival of former Manchester United and Bayern Munich man Marcel Bout.

It was reported in the Dutch media earlier this week that Bout was joining the Magpies as a scout. As quoted by the Dutch newspaper (via Sport Witness), Bout said: “I have recently come into contact with Newcastle. "The steady expansion of the club appeals to me. I’m also happy to be back in England and at Champions League level."

Asked about Bout ahead of Saturday's Premier League trip to Bournemouth, Howe said: "That’d be something I’m not directly involved in. That’ll be a club appointment made internally. I don’t think it’ll necessarily impact first-team recruitment, I think it’s more on the younger side. It’s certainly a welcome addition to the football club."

According to Dutch newspaper AD, the 60-year-old will be based in the Netherlands and travel around the world and is tasked with identifying major talent between the ages of 16 and 23.

Bout has held a long association with Dutch legend Louis van Gaal, starting at Bayern Munich in 2011 when he became assistant. He then reunited with Van Gaal at Man United in 2014, where he specialised in opposition scouting before becoming the Old Trafford club's chief global scout between October 2016 and April 2022.

He is expected to begin work ahead of January as Newcastle consider bolstering their squad.

The Magpies have recently lost £52million summer signing Sandro Tonali to a 10-month ban following an investigation into illegal betting activity.

And the depth of Howe's squad has been depleted in recent weeks with the United boss without 10 senior players for the visit to Bournemouth.

“When you come to first team recruitment when the players are going to come straight into my squad I feel it’s a necessity that me and my coaching team are across every transfer because you have to have that love, want and need for the player in order for it to be successful," Howe added.

"I’m a believer that the coach, manager needs that control to a degree over the singings you can make."