Manchester United chiefs John Murtough and Richard Arnold will reportedly be ‘concerned’ about their futures at Old Trafford if Sir Jim Ratcliffe buys a share in the Premier League club. The British billionaire is apparently close to sealing a 25 per cent stake in United following a lengthy takeover saga.
According to reports, part of the deal will see Ratcliffe’s INEOS team control the football operation at United. The 70-year-old is likely to oversee sweeping changes once his minority takeover bid is ratified.
Head coach Erik ten Hag is supposedly expected to be kept on. The Dutchman has enough credit in the bank from last season, which included a Carabao Cup triumph and a third-place finish in the Premier League.
However, other football staff are likely to be ‘concerned’ about their futures at Old Trafford, it has been claimed. They apparently include two of the biggest names behind the scenes.
According to The Times, football director Murtough and CEO Arnold could apparently be in the firing line when Ratcliffe takes charge of the sporting operation. Ratcliffe, who made his fortune thanks to his petrochemicals giant INEOS, has been tipped to make changes within the club’s hierarchy.
The report claims that a board meeting next week will likely given the green light to Ratcliffe’s bid for 25 per-cent of the club. It will be the first phase of a takeover by INEOS.
Ratcliffe was given a clear path to negotiating with the Glazers after his main rival, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, pulled out of the process on Saturday. The Qatari scarcely got close to the Glazers’ valuation of £6billion for a full takeover, it has been reported.
In a co-owned entity, the Glazers will apparently oversee the commercial side of the club. But Ratcliffe’s presence is allegedly not likely to trouble head coach Ten Hag.
It is claimed that the Dutchman’s job would be safe despite a disappointing start to the season both on and off the pitch. United are tenth in the Premier League after four defeats in their first eight games, and have lost their opening two Champions League group stage fixtures.
Incidentally, Murtough offered a staunch defence of Ten Hag last week. “Clearly, we’ve got work to do to get the men’s team back up to the levels we expect, but we really believe in the manager, his staff and the players, and their ability to build momentum as the season progressed,” Murtough, who was appointed in 2021, said.
He added: “Now, we have to show that same drive to turn the season around after the international break and I know that the manager, players and staff are absolutely determined to do that.
“There’s still three-quarters of the campaign to go and four competitions to compete in, so it’s important we keep our belief — both within the club and among the fans.”
