Old Trafford plan and recruitment turnaround – how INEOS improved Manchester United in 100 days

Today marks exactly 100 days since Manchester United announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had secured a 27.7 per cent stake in the club.

After a takeover saga that felt like it would never end, the deal between United and Ratcliffe was completed in February, with the club releasing a statement on their website at 9.15pm on 20 February. The statement revealed that Ratcliffe acquired 25 percent of the club’s Class B shares and 25 percent of the club’s Class A shares.

On becoming a part-owner of United, Ratcliffe said: “Becoming a part-owner of Manchester United is a great honor and comes with a great responsibility.

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“This marks the completion of the transaction but is only the beginning of our journey to bring Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football with world-class facilities for our fans. Work to achieve these goals will accelerate starting today. .”

100 days into his premiership, Ratcliffe is rolling up his sleeves to prepare for his first summer at the club. Ineos have been given control of football operations, meaning they will oversee changes to the squad as well as decide on Erik ten Hag’s future.

Having reached this milestone, MEN Sports picked out four positive changes that Ratcliffe and Ineos have started to make since they got the keys to Old Trafford.

Making long-awaited meetings

Before Ratcliffe and Ineos got their feet under the table, it was obvious that one of their first goals would be to assign the right people to the right roles. United’s hierarchy desperately needed to be equipped with football knowledge and know-how.

Before the deal between United and Ratcliffe was even officially announced, Omar Berrada was persuaded to swap one Manchester side for the other. He has been installed as the club’s new chief executive and will officially start work at Old Trafford in July.

Ratcliffe, who said everyone in the board at Old Trafford must be world class, was also recruited by Southampton’s Jason Wilcox last month. He has been installed as technical director and will be part of the new football structure.

Ineos also considered Dan Ashworth as their preferred candidate to become the club’s inaugural sporting director. However, their bid to release him from his Newcastle United contract remains ongoing.

However, Ratcliffe and his team have made it very clear that they want the best in class for each of the hierarchical roles that need to be filled. Finally, United are approaching an elite-level football structure.

The regeneration of Old Trafford

As much history and enduring memories are associated with Old Trafford, there is no denying that it is tired and in desperate need of modernisation. Ratcliffe, however, admitted it was his preference to build a brand new stadium on the existing site.

In March, it was announced that Ratcliffe had set up a task force to explore options for regenerating Old Trafford. The task force is chaired by Lord Sebastian Coe and also includes former United captain Gary Neville.

Ratcliffe has frequently reiterated that a new stadium could become the “Wembley of the North”. Ratcliffe also said a new stadium could hold up to 100,000 fans.

His ambitions to build a state-of-the-art arena for United cannot be dismissed. United’s facilities have lagged behind their rivals and it is clear that Ratcliffe believes the club and its supporters deserve better.

Plans for a new training ground

Ineos sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, as revealed Manchester Evening News earlier this month is pushing for the club to build a brand new training ground. He does not believe that the current facilities are suitable for the purpose of an elite sports team.

The club is in desperate need of either renovating their current base in Carrington or moving to a new site. Ineos believes United should have the best, which means significant investment will be needed in this area.

Planning another recruitment policy

Ratcliffe, before becoming co-owner at Old Trafford, criticized the club’s spending in the transfer market. United have overpaid for countless players over the past decade and that has proved to be the case once again this season with Casemiro’s sudden decline.

Ratcliffe in March signaled his biggest intent yet on how he plans to revamp United’s recruitment policy, saying he wants to sign their next big-name star rather than buy an option ready made for big bucks.

“What I’d rather do is find the next (Kylian) Mbappe than spend a fortune just trying to buy success,” Ratcliffe told the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. “It’s not that smart, is it, to buy Mbappe, in a way?

“Anyone could figure it out. But what is much more difficult is finding the next Mbappe, the next (Jude) Bellingham or the next Roy Keane.”

United’s strike rate in the transfer market desperately needs to improve starting this summer and Ratcliffe is fully aware of that. He also plans to improve the club’s record in the seller’s market, which is another department where United have not been good enough in recent years.