Saunders left red-faced for Man Utd rant on "cycling expert" Dave Brailsford
Football pundit Dean Saunders has been ridiculed following comments made about Ineos sporting director Sir David Brailsford 's presence at Manchester United.
Brailsford, 59, is the right-hand man of Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is poised to become a new minority shareholder in his boyhood club. Ratcliffe, who is parting with £1.25billion for a 25 per cent stake in United, will assume full control of sporting operations as per the terms of his agreement with the Glazer family.
It is anticipated that Brailsford, a former cycling coach, will be given a prominent role once Ratcliffe is in situ at Old Trafford. But Saunders was less than impressed with that idea on Wednesday, citing Brailsford's background in cycling as a major issue.
He told talkSPORT: "[Manchester United] needs a complete reshuffle but I wouldn't be getting a cycling expert to do it for me. I'd have an expert in football."
He continued: "Dave Brailsford is the guru with cyclists at the Tour De France and the Olympics, and his motto is, 'Can I get an extra one per cent out of everything?'. Fair enough in cycling. But when you've got to find out who's lying to you in football, like agents other clubs, players...everybody lies to you. Experience makes sure you talk to the right people.
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"You cannot come into football and think because it worked in cycling you're going to take over a football club and get inside a footballer's mind. They're not cyclists.
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Sir Dave Brailsford (second from left) was at Old Trafford for Manchester United's victory over Aston Villa (PA)Despite Brailsford's background in cycling, he also experience of football operations from his involvement at OGC Nice : the French club that Ratcliffe and Ineos have owned since 2019.
When it was pointed out to Saunders that Brailsford has experience from his time at Nice by co-host Jamie O'Hara, he seemingly failed to acknowledge his oversight and continued to question Brailsford's credentials - much to the amusement of several fans on social media.
"It's nothing personal against Dave," Saunders continued. "He's clearly very good at his job [even though] Bradley Wiggins has said that one percent edge is a load of rubbish, and he's the best cycler in the world. People like Bradley Wiggins, it comes from within. They're special people.
"In cycling, [Brailsford] is an expert. He's not in rugby, he's not in football, so don't give him £350m whatever you do. Give it to an expert in football who knows what he's doing."
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