Click and buy: How scouting embraced the 21st century

Click and buy: How scouting embraced the 21st century - Transfers, Football - The Independent: "Manchester United completed one of the best deals of recent years with the capture of Mexican striker Javier Hernandez for £7m from Guadalajara a year ago. 'Chicharito' was scouted the traditional way – he was first flagged up by United's scouts in 2005 playing for the Mexican Under-17s and only signed after chief scout Jim Lawlor had spent three weeks in Mexico carrying out an in-depth assessment.

Every club craves unearthing such a precious gem as Hernandez, who scored 20 goals in a memorable debut season at Old Trafford. However not every club can afford the kind of scouting network, both formal employees and informal contacts, assembled over decades by the likes of Manchester United.

More and more, clubs are turning to technology to fill the void, and cut the cost of expensive trips to watch promising youngsters. In the past year, the leading football data companies have turned their focus to player recruitment and are pushing their products hard, believing it is an area of immense potential growth over the next decade. The next Hernandez is just as likely to have been spotted by a nerd at a computer screen as a scout on a football pitch."