Performance Chef Carvalho joins Manchester United from Brighton
Written by
Ian Westbrook
June 25, 2025
Manchester United have appointed Will Carvalho as their new Head Performance Chef for the men’s First Team.
Carvalho joins the club from Brighton, where he has been Executive Performance Chef for the past two seasons, and replaces Omar Meziane, who left Old Trafford last October.
Before arriving at the Amex Stadium, he had worked as Performance Chef for Brazil’s women’s team for more than 12-and-a-half years, for Gloucester rugby union team for just over eight years and for Scottish Rugby for nearly a year-and-a-half.
Carvalho’s appointment is the latest in a string of changes behind the scenes at United over the past few months.
While Jason Wilcox was promoted to Director of Football earlier this month and Michael Sansoni arrived as Director of Data in May, there have been several departures.
These include First Team Coach Andreas Georgson, Head of Performance Analysis Paul Brand, Director of Insights and Innovation Richard Hawkins, Physio David Binningsley, and Academy Director Nick Cox.
Another departure was Thomas Maynard, who was the Performance Nutritionist – a role which works closely with the Performance Chef.
Carvalho will start his new role next month ahead of pre-season. He said his two years at Brighton had a big impact on him and told The Argus: “It’s a new challenge, a next step in my career. Timing and opportunity don’t always align but I am massively grateful for my time at Brighton.”
On his Instagram account, he revealed a tattoo of the club’s emblem of a seagull to mark his time there and added: “Sad to leave this team and staff and my catering team, some huge legacy stays behind. Love you all!”
In an interview with the Telegraph earlier this year, Carvalho explained the thinking behind how he fed Brighton’s players.
“We are always trying to find that percentage more, to make sure our players are ready for and also recover well from their games. They can organise their week so they balance their work, life and sport. Obviously, the intensities are different [for amateurs] and recovery as well, but these days, there is more and more of a positive attitude towards healthy eating and also healthy lifestyle.”
One constant on Brighton players’ menu
He explained that for breakfast the players had a huge choice of omelette fillings among other things, as well use of the club’s “famous orange juicer” with the likes of ginger, tumeric, kale and different fruits also available.
Lunches were themed around “the home nations or world regions”, while for the day before a game Carvalho said: “We aim for high-carb options, so we always have two: a pizza station and arancini.” These would be balanced with two “high-fuel” salad options with protein to balance the menu, which also included eight different types of pasta and a mixture of potato and vegetable dishes.
Despite the variety of options, Carvalho said there was one constant. “For dessert, there is our classic vanilla rice pudding station. This is an iconic dish that is always available the day before a game.”
Carvalho’s appointment by United fills the void left by Meziane’s departure early last season.
He had joined United in January 2023 with a remit to “prepare, produce and deliver a high-quality consistent catering offer”, as well as working on both home and away games.
Before that he had been Head Chef for Gareth Southgate’s England’s men’s team from 2017 to 2022 – working with them at both the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020. He has also worked with the England cricket team and individual Premier League players as well as co-authoring a cookery book with former England rugby union player James Haskell.
Follow Us
For latest updates, follow us on X at @ground_guru
