Manchester United fans were given a gift on Christmas Eve. This was the day when Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s purchase of 25% of the Old Trafford club was confirmed, marking the start of a new era for the Red Devils, and the end of another one which has seen United suffer a decade of underachievement.
The Glazer family will still hold majority control of Manchester United at executive level, but Ratcliffe and his company, INEOS, have taken over the sporting side of the club. United will be remoulded by the British billionaire, which is good news for supporters who have grown tired of the current dross served up by their team.
It’s not necessarily good news for Erik ten Hag, though. Until now, the Dutch manager has been able to hide behind the turmoil of Ratcliffe’s takeover. While ten Hag himself has never used it as an excuse, the implication has been that the ownership situation has affected United players who have struggled to produce their best form so far this season.
“We’re looking forward. I think it is positive for the club that they are stepping in,” said ten Hag. “They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level F1, a cycling team, football clubs. They can only help us and support us to get our targets. They want to work with us and we want to work with them.”
Ten Hag needs an improvement in results to prove he is still the right man for the job at Old Trafford, though. Manchester United have suffered a dreadful start to the season. They are already out of the Champions League and are slumped in sixth place in the Premier League table having lost eight of their 19 fixtures.
There have been a lot of distractions at the club in recent months. On top of the takeover, there was the situation with Mason Greenwood who was accused of assault and domestic abuse. There was also the domestic abuse allegations made against Antony and the story that a convicted paedophile was invited by the club to a women’s match.
In a soccer sense, the summer transfer window was a turbulent period as Manchester United struggled to get deals over the line. Then injuries hit them hard with countless first team players sidelined for stretches of the season. Injuries are still an issue for ten Hag who has had to shuffle the pack over and over again.
The thrilling comeback victory over Aston Villa on Boxing Day highlighted the quality that is still within the United squad, but there have been false dawns for ten Hag’s team before. With new decision-makers at the helm following Ratcliffe’s arrival, the Dutchman must prove himself all over again.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, who enjoyed incredible success as the head of British Cycling for a number of years, will have their own ideas on what Manchester United should look like under their control. They will spend the next few months formulating those ideas into a plan for the club’s future.
Some reports claim Ratcliffe wants Manchester United to give a platform to the best British talent. Former Monaco and Tottenham Hotspur transfers expert Paul Mitchell has been linked with the sporting director position at Old Trafford. Newcastle United’s Dan Ashworth is another believed to be a potential target of INEOS.
Should United part ways with ten Hag, Graham Potter has been rumoured as a top choice to take over the reins. Nice (also owned by INEOS) tried to hire the former Brighton boss, and Ratcliffe is known to be a fan. Failure at Chelsea seemingly wouldn’t put off the new Manchester United figurehead from making a move for the 48-year-old.
The January window will come too early for any difference to be made in the transfer market. Not only have Manchester United lacked an identity as a team on the pitch in recent years, they have lacked a coherent transfer strategy – and one has led to the other. This has to change under Ratcliffe, but that will take time.
Everything is being reassessed at Manchester United now that the Glazers have been pushed to the side. That includes ten Hag, who has contributed to the mess at Old Trafford with some of his decisions this season. The Dutchman might still be the man to take United forward, but he has some new bosses to prove this to.
