Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos group have taken control of football matters at Old Trafford. The group has since been overhauling the structure behind the scenes bringing their people into positions of power within the club.It’s almost inevitable that this restructuring is going to include the role of the head coach. And after a disappointing season on the pitch, Erik Ten Hag’s job will come under major scrutiny at the end of the current season.
🚨 OFFICIAL: Manchester United plc announces today that it has entered into an agreement under which Chairman of INEOS, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, will acquire 25 per cent of Manchester United’s Class B shares and up to 25 per cent of Manchester United’s Class A shares. pic.twitter.com/lmTD9xMnsX
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) December 24, 2023
Poor season at Old Trafford
Ten Hag cannot point to results on the pitch to support his argument for staying in post for the 2023/24 season. United are not involved in the three-horse race to win the Premier League.
Making matters worse, cross-town rivals Manchester City are the current betting favorites. City currently leads the betting to win the Premier League at 7/5. Arsenal are second at 7/4, and Liverpool are third at 23/10. The only Premier League odds United are involved in is betting to finish in the top six. For that, they are 10/11. A bet on football games involving United is risky under Ten Hag this season, as it’s never obvious what they will produce on the pitch. The team is just too unpredictable.
What appointments have United made so far?
To date, the only appointment the Ineos group has confirmed is Omar Berrada as the new CEO of Manchester United. He will take up the role for the start of next season. Berrada is the current Chief Football Operations Officer for the City Football Group. Persuading him to leave to join Manchester City’s main rivals for the new season is a major coup for the Ineos group.
Also on the radar of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos group are Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox. Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave by Newcastle United, as the two clubs try to bash out a financial settlement.
Jason Wilcox is the current Director of Football at EPL club Southampton. It’s not clear yet how this situation will play out, but United have made an approach to the Saints for Wilcox.
🚨 𝗢𝗙𝗙𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗔𝗟: MANCHESTER UNITED HAVE BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE! 🚫 pic.twitter.com/3PZhI9n5ys
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) December 12, 2023
Determined United
Clearly, United are determined to get their men. And even if they ultimately fail, they have made it clear they are looking to recruit the top people in their attempts to restructure the club. If Ashworth and Wilcox don’t arrive at Old Trafford, United will keep looking until they find the right candidates to fill the roles.
Why this spells bad news for Erik ten Hag
Often when a new Director of Football comes into a club, they bring their own manager or head coach. If it is Dan Ashworth, then he will almost certainly want a head coach he is happy to work with. Ashworth has a good reputation in the game and won’t want to work with a manager he doesn’t think is up to the job.
Another minus point for Ten Hag is that the appointment seems to be being made above his head.
It is often the manager that instructs the club on who they want to be the new director, as they want someone they know they can work with. There is no suggestion that Ten Hag has asked the club to go and get Ashworth from Newcastle. This looks purely like an Ineos appointment. This situation would never happen across Manchester at the Etihad Stadium. There is no way the City hierarchy would tell Pep Guardiola who they expected him to work with. They would ask him and discuss the situation with him.
If Pep didn’t want a particular person, the club wouldn’t go against his wishes, unless they wanted the manager out.
Only a matter of time
Whatever decisions Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos take within the club, the writing already looks on the wall for Erik ten Hag. Results haven’t been good on the pitch, and the team is now looking leaderless and lacking in confidence. The FA Cup run has provided some respite from the problems in the league. But the Premier League is what matters, and things aren’t going well.
The summer will provide the opportunity for a fresh start at United. And at the moment it looks highly unlikely that Erik ten Hag will be part of that.
Also read: Jadon Sancho is “Desperate” to Join Borussia Dortmund and Quit Manchester United
