It has been an eventful international break for Manchester United, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe now set to purchase a 25 percent minority stake in after Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani withdrew his offer to buy the club outright.
As part of the deal, Ratcliffe is set to take charge of the club’s football operation and could make major changes to the way United are run. Currently, the Red Devils sit 10th in the Premier League and bottom of their Champions League group after a disappointing start to the season.
They have lost both of their European games to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray and needed two stoppage time goals from Scott McTominay to complete a comeback win over Brentford before the international break and end a run of three straight defeats in all competitions.
Erik ten Hag’s side will be back in action on Saturday when they face Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Here, Mirror Football rounds up all the latest news from Manchester.
Ten Hag on board with Ratcliffe plans
According to the Daily Mail, Ratcliffe wants to ‘complete a radical overhaul of Manchester United’s football department’ and Ten Hag is set to welcome his plans.
The report states that Ten Hag has ‘shown signs of frustration at the club’s recruitment’ during his time at Old Trafford, with a lack of clarity over transfer budgets, limited data resources and overpaying for targets a source of concern for the Dutchman.
He is also said to have a pre-existing relationship with Ratcliffe due to the INEOS chief owning Ligue 1 club Nice, while they also met when the 70-year-old was shown United’s facilities in a trip to Manchester back in March.
Casemiro disrespect claim
Former United defender Paul Parker has launched a staunch defence of Casemiro, claiming the defensive midfielder’s teammates have been “disrespectful” to him.
“He wants to attack, defend, go into the duels, run with the ball, get into the box and get all the way back to make a tackle in his own box and I get why he is doing it but it’s wrong,” Parker told Bettors. “It’s like the kid in school who is so much better than the rest so he wants to do everything himself but in the end it makes him look bad, even though he does it from a good heart.
“He does it because the younger players around him are just walking around. Rasmus Hojlund is the only one who is working hard and a lot of the players are being disrespectful to Casemiro by the way they just walk around on the pitch.”
Ex-Liverpool chief linked with move
Former Liverpool sporting director Julian Ward has been linked with a move to United as part of Ratcliffe’s overhaul.
Ward spent 11 years at Liverpool, working as Michael Edwards’ deputy before being promoted to sporting director after his departure. However, resigned in November after just one season in the role and the Athletic state that, for now, he is ‘enjoying spending more time with his young family’.
The report adds that he rejected the chance to become Ajax’s technical director over the summer and is ‘considering his next move’. Ward is one of several names Ratcliffe is thought to be considering as United’s sporting director, with Paul Mitchell and Dan Ashworth also linked.
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