Ratcliffe hopes to seal ManchesterUnited deal

“It was a difficult year (for me at Nice),” Schmeichel tells Sky Sports. “But without Jim, without Dave Brailsford, I wouldn’t have been able to get through it. They were incredible. So supportive.

“I know first-hand they have massive ambitions for Man United if they are to get it. I haven’t seen any venture they’ve turned their hands to and not been successful.

“It’s just important that Man United fans give them time.”

While Sheikh Jassim’s camp may have arrived at Old Trafford promising the biggest of big names – Hollywood superstars such as Kylian Mbappe linked with a Qatari-backed Man United side – Ratcliffe’s approach feels far more considered. Less sparkly, perhaps, but with more substance.

In Jean-Claude Blanc and Dan Ashworth, currently the favourites to become CEO and sporting director at Manchester United, Ratcliffe appears set to put a clear, coherent structure in place built around some of the sharpest minds in European football.

Blanc was the brains behind the modern-day success of Juventus and PSG. Ashworth, meanwhile, put the building blocks in place for England’s success under Gareth Southgate and helped transform Brighton and Newcastle into two of the most upwardly-mobile, forward-thinking clubs in the country.

United want Jean-Claude Blanc and Dan Ashworth

“(Ratcliffe’s plans are) good news for all fans. This should be exciting times. Not just because you are getting rid of Ed Woodward and his twin Richard Arnold,” French football expert Julien Laurens tells theThe Gab and Jules Showpodcast.

“Sporting-wise, finally you will get a structure in place which is like all the other top clubs in Europe

“I think (Blanc) did a good job at Juve to clear things up. He loves football but he’s not a football guy himself, you know? You won’t see him heavily involved in transfers, recruitment, in first-team football. That’s not him.

“However, he is very good with numbers. He is a very smart guy. He knows all the economics, the way the structure is. For me, he would be a great CEO. If Sir Jim brings Blanc in at United, this will be the best move they have done for a very long time.”