Manchester United: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s five rules and what they mean this summer

Despite winning the FA Cup at the weekend, Manchester United are set for a summer of transition. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is preparing for his first off-season in charge of the club's football operations following the completion of his minority investment earlier this year, with his first major decision being whether to stay or pivot to manager Erik ten Hag.Whether or not the Dutchman stays in the job, the club are likely to be busy in the transfer market this summer and according to The Sun, Ratcliffe has drawn up a strict list of transfer rules that the manager will have to adhere to.The 'rules' of Sir Jim Ratcliffe's transfer to Manchester UnitedSir Jim Ratcliffe has to make a decision about Erik ten Hag's future (Image credit: Getty Images)According to the report, Manchester United's transfer rules this summer will see the club look to improve their recent record in the market after a string of costly misses in recent years. The reported rules are:Players over the age of 25 are not signedNo "Galacticos"Technical director Jason Wilcox will set the style of playThe manager will be asked which positions he wants to sign, rather than individual playersThe manager will then have a list of three potential signings for each position to choose fromWhat will this mean for the club this summer?Once a decision is made on the manager position, whoever is in charge will need to quickly form an effective working relationship with Wilcox. A structure that sees the technical director take the lead in setting a style of play and identifying transfer targets is nothing new, but Manchester United have been slow to move to this system in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.The best features, fun and football quizzes straight to your inbox every week.Former Red Devils midfielder Darren Fletcher has been appointed as the club's first technical director in 2021, but in Wilcox they now have a more experienced operator in the role and his position should be more clearly defined in the new structure. What's more interesting are the specific requirements when it comes to players entering. The absence of the 'Galacticos' seems to indicate a shift away from huge transfer fees and big wage packets. The board's refusal to enter the race for Kylian Mbappe this summer was an early indicator of this strategy. Limiting the age of new signings to 25 also means the club will look to the future, buying players before they reach their prime years and could have a sell-on value at the end of their first contract with the club. .Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite has been linked with Manchester United (Image credit: Getty Images)Names to be linked with the club this summer include Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite, Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, soon-to-be-out-of-contract Fulham centre-back Tosin Adarabioyo, Bayer Leverkusen duo Edmond Tapsoba and Jeremie Frimpong and Borussia. Dortmund striker Donyell Malen - all 25 or under. Notably, Gleison Bremer, the Brazil and Juventus defender who has been heavily linked, does not fit Ratcliffe's criteria at 27. If this 25-year-old age limit had been in place in recent years, the likes of Andre Onana, Casemiro, Christian Eriksen, Raphael Varane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Edinson Cavani would not have been signed. Red Devils fans will be hoping that this new set of rules will mean that the club's transfer record will be improved, whoever the new manager is.More Manchester United storiesDwight Yorke: “I would give Rasmus Hojlund five or six out of 10 so far at Manchester United - it was average"Why Manchester United face potential relegation from the Europa League due to INEOS headachesManchester United defender Harry Maguire will hold talks with the club on his future: report window.reliableConsentGiven.then(function(){ !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function() {n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)} ;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n; n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=();t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)(0);s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script','https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '230404523817416'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); })

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