Sir Jim Ratcliffe will reportedly order Manchester United’s recruitment team to focus on homegrown talent once his partial takeover of the club is approved.

The INEOS chief remains on the verge of buying 25% of the Old Trafford club for £1.3billion. Ratcliffe will take over football operations and is already planning to make big changes, including overhauling transfer strategy.

According to the Daily Mail, Ratcliffe wants to see more domestic talent come through the ranks and represent the first team, similar to the legendary ‘Class of 92’ which included the likes of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and the Neville brothers.
Since then, United have lavished huge sums on foreign talent, with successes as well as expensive mistakes in the transfer market. United’s recruitment over the last decade, since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, has been extremely questionable.

In light of that, Ratcliffe wants to see a new domestic-focused approach with more British players in the side. However, that could be easier said than done, with fees for British players widely regarded to be inflated compared to players of similar ability from abroad.

Changes are already taking place behind the scenes with chief executive Richard Arnold set to leave the club. Patrick Stewart will take on the role on an interim basis less than two years after Arnold was picked to replace Ed Woodward back in February of 2022. That change is set to happen by the end of the year.

Football director John Murtough, who has been responsible for United’s work in the transfer market, is also set to leave the club, as reported by Daily Star Sport earlier this month.

Murtough became United’s first ever football director when he was promoted to the role from his previous position as the club’s head of football development. He was tasked with overseeing operations and strategy across all football functions at the club.