Manchester United appointed Omar Berrada as the new CEO on Saturday night, making a bold statement by recruiting him from rival Manchester City.

The Red Devils had been looking for a successor to Richard Arnold, who left the club in November, and Berrada appears to fit the bill following his success both on and off the field with City Football Group.

Berrada has been with the Cityzens for nearly a decade, most recently as the chief football operations officer.

Britain's PA news agency said it understands that United owners Joel and Avram Glazer appointed Berrada in consultation with Jim Ratcliffe, whose Ineos firm has agreed to buy up to a 25% stake in the Premier League club.

Berrada’s start date with his new club will be revealed in due course by United, who confirmed Patrick Stewart will continue as interim chief executive for the time being.

"Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Omar Berrada as its new CEO. The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do," United said in a statement. "Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey."

The statement on X, formerly Twitter, added: "He is currently serving as chief football operations officer for City Football Group overseeing 11 clubs across five continents and, prior to this, held senior roles at Barcelona.

"It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club."