Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to sound out Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson for guidance amid his search for a new sporting director.
The Ineos chief, 71, will assume control of sporting operations at Old Trafford once his £1.3billion deal for a 25 percent minority stake in the club is ratified in the coming days and is expected to implement sweeping changes behind the scenes.
Chief executive Richard Arnold has already announced he will be leaving his post in December and it’s highly likely other executives will follow him out the door. Ratcliffe also has designs on overhauling United’s recruitment strategy and is planning to install a new sporting director to mark the start of a new era at the club.
While the names of numerous candidates have already been touted, a new report from The Telegraph outlines that Ratcliffe will seek the counsel of Ferguson prior to implementing said changes.
Ferguson’s influence could work in the favour of Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman, who is a long-term ally of the legendary Manchester United chief. The Star revealed earlier this week that Freedman is one of the names who could be handed a major role by Ratcliffe and the new regime.
The report goes on to name other sporting directors Ratcliffe admires, including Atalanta’s Lee Congerton and Atletico Madrid chief Andrea Berta. Former AC Milan duo Paolo Maldini and Ricky Massara are also of interest.
Former Monaco transfer guru Paul Mitchell is another name who has been heavily linked with the role in recent weeks. He has Premier League experience courtesy of previous spells with Southampton and Tottenham.
Former Paris Saint-Germain chief Jean-Claude Blanc, who left the French giants to oversee Ineos’ sporting profile last December, is expected to replace Arnold as CEO. Board member Patrick Stewart is set to step up and fill the role on an interim basis.
Ratcliffe is intent on ‘drastically improving’ Manchester United’s football operations and his willingness to lean on Ferguson for counsel is likely to be well received by fans, the majority of whom are disappointed with developments and would prefer a clean break from the current regime.
Despite fielding full takeover offers from Ratcliffe and rival bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani over the past year, the Glazer family have opted to remain in power by selling a minority stake to Ineos rather than selling up completely.