17 October 2023 , 08:13
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Erik ten Hag is on board with Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plan to shake things up behind the scenes at Manchester United after growing frustrated with the club's recruitment strategy.
Ratcliffe, 70, is waiting to hear whether his £1.3billion bid for a 25 per cent stake in the club will be ratified later this week after beating Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to a deal with the Glazers. And while the Americans will remain in power, Ratcliffe's minority stake would give him control over football operations at Old Trafford.
That means the Ineos chief could have the freedom to implement big changes sooner rather than later in Manchester. And with his job assured, a new report has revealed Ten Hag would welcome such an overhaul.
The Mail outline that the Dutchman is likely to be enthusiastic about Ratcliffe's plans due to Ineos' history of raising standards in football, cycling and sailing. Ten Hag has privately shown signs of 'frustration' since his arrival from Ajax 18 months ago over the club's recruitment work. The lack of clarity over budgets and limited data resources have raised concerns, while the club's penchant for overpaying in the transfer market is another key issue.
It's unclear whether Ten Hag has spoken to Ratcliffe yet, however, the report does claim that they have a pre-existing relationship due to Ratcliffe's ownership of OGC Nice.
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While Ratcliffe is yet to comment publicly on speculation over his deal with the Glazers or his future plans, he has previously slammed the club's approach in the transfer market. He championed Nice's focus on youth during a previous interview with The Times, where his comments make it clear he is unlikely to endorse overpaying on any deal.
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Erik ten Hag would back Sir Jim Ratcliffe's plans to overhaul Manchester United behind the scenes (Ash Donelon/Manchester United FC)Speaking about United back in 2019, he said: “They haven’t got the manager selection right, haven’t bought well. They have spent the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred. United have spent an immense amount since [Sir Alex] Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest.
“We (at OGC Nice) have a different approach here to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grassroots, trying to locate young talent. Some clubs seem to have the ability to do that, Southampton and Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot.”
Ratcliffe is understood to be planning to appoint a new sporting director as part of his overhaul. Former Monaco chief Paul Mitchell has been mentioned in discussions behind the scenes as have former Liverpool duo Michael Edwards and Julian Ward.
Ineos will also 'accelerate' plans to redevelop Old Trafford if their offer for a minority stake in the club is approved. As well as giving the stadium a much-needed facelift, there are also plans to increase the capacity to 90,000 in the coming years.