The former Sunderland head of recruitment is attracting interest from several European clubs

Former Sunderland head of recruitment Tony Coton is attracting interest from several European clubs as they look to strengthen their scouting departments.

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Manchester United’s chief goalkeeper scout is on the radar of multiple sides across the continent, with Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg, and Como all credited with interest. Coton is currently responsible for identifying goalkeeping talent for the Old Trafford club, having returned to Manchester United in 2020 in a specialist scouting role.

His links to Sunderland date back to both his playing and executive careers. The former goalkeeper joined the Black Cats in the summer of 1996 from Manchester United for £600,000 after spending just six months at Old Trafford. Coton had initially moved across Manchester from City earlier that year for £500,000 to serve as back-up to Peter Schmeichel.

Although he never made a first-team appearance for Manchester United, he was part of the squad that lifted both the Premier League title and FA Cup during the 1995-96 campaign. Coton’s time on Wearside began promisingly following Sunderland’s promotion to the Premier League as Division One champions. However, his playing career was cruelly cut short when he suffered a devastating leg break in five places during a league match against Southampton.

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The injury ultimately forced him into retirement and led him down a different path within football. Coton went on to spend a decade at Manchester United between 1997 and 2007 as the club’s goalkeeping coach, working closely with a number of high-profile keepers during Sir Alex Ferguson’s era. After leaving that role due to ongoing knee problems, he later moved into scouting and recruitment. He held positions with Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic before joining Aston Villa in 2015 as goalkeeping scout and later head of domestic scouting.

Coton returned to Sunderland in 2018 under the ownership of Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven, taking up the role of head of recruitment following relegation to League One. He remained on Wearside during a significant but ultimately unsuccessful transitional period before eventually departing and later returning to Manchester United in 2020 as the club’s dedicated goalkeeper scout.

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