On Tuesday, it was confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of 25% of Manchester United had been ratified by the Premier League. Ratcliffe reached an agreement with the Glazer family in December but the deal had to go through the league’s owners’ and directors’ test.
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The green light has now been received, and all that remains now is for the Football Association to rubber-stamp the deal too, which is expected to be a “formality”.
Ratcliffe and INEOS, who will take control of the sporting operation at Old Trafford, have already poached Omar Berrada from rivals Manchester City as their new CEO, and have now turned their attention to finding a sporting director, with Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth emerging as the top target. The Red Devils have yet to approach the Magpies, but are expected to move quickly from here to try and secure his services.
Ashworth wants to be part of United relaunch
Writing on X/Twitter, Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News reported that “United want Dan Ashworth and Ashworth wants to join United” in an encouraging update.
In an attached article for the MEN, he reveals that figures inside INEOS are so confident of landing Ashworth that they haven’t even “sounded out alternatives”, instead viewing him as their “only target”.
Ratcliffe attended meetings at Carrington last week to hold discussions over his planned restructure, and a sporting director is “expected to be the next significant appointment”. If Ashworth does join, he’ll have to serve a “lengthy spell of gardening leave” before he starts work, just like Berrada.
As for the future of incumbent football director John Murtough, there’s a possibly that he’ll be retained in a “more administrative role” but things are very much “in the balance” as it stands.
Ashworth must make signings like Antony a thing of the past
While Ashworth’s job wouldn’t focus solely on recruitment, it should very much be his top priority. Since Sir Alex Ferguson, who steered the club to a record 13 Premier League titles, retired in 2013, United have pumped over £1.5bn into their playing squad, with hardly any reward.
Trophies won since Sir Alex Ferguson retired*
Rank
Club
Tot.
Trophies
1
Manchester City
15
Premier League (x6), League Cup (x6), FA Cup (x2), Champions League
2
Chelsea
6
Premier League (x2), Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, Europa League
=3
Liverpool
4
Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup
3
Arsenal
4
FA Cup (x4)
5
Man Utd
4
League Cup (x2), FA Cup, Europa League
*Excluding Club World Cup, UEFA Super Cup, Community Shield
As you can see in the table above, all they’ve won in that time is a couple of League Cups, an FA Cup and a Europa League, while neighbours Manchester City have become the dominant force in English football.
One player that sums up United’s recruitment woes is Antony, who ranks as the sixth-most expensive addition in Premier League history following his €95m (£81m) arrival from Ajax in 2022 but has scored a meagre four goals in 44 top-flight appearances. This is exactly the kind of blunder Erik ten Hag’s side need to avoid moving forward if they’re to overhaul Pep Guardiola and City.