AI can show Man United the money, says club’s data expert

Sunil Menon imagines a future for football that he really doesn’t want to see. It’s one where the physical game has been wholly replaced by a digital reality. The stars are either entirely artificial intelligence (AI) creations or, at best, controlled by humans, as in e-sports today.

It’s a scenario he doesn’t see coming to pass for perhaps a century but one he, despite being a staunch advocate of modern technology, wants to prevent.

Menon ...