New Man Utd owner's initial response after meeting with Erik ten Hag and players
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's meeting with Erik ten Hag on Wednesday "was very positive", a Manchester United spokesperson has confirmed.
Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, his sporting director at INEOS, travelled to United's Carrington training ground to speak to Ten Hag and his players following a two-hour meeting at Old Trafford. It comes after Ratcliffe agreed to become United's minority owner.
The British billionaire is in the processes of buying a 25 per cent stake in the club from the Glazers worth around £1.25billion. The deal is yet to be ratified by the Premier League, but it will see him take control of football operations after a difficult decade for United.
The Red Devils haven't won the Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement in 2013 and have picked up just one trophy - the 2023 Carabao Cup - since the start of the 2017/18 campaign. This season is also proving to be a struggle for Ten Hag's side.
United are eighth in the Premier League table following their latest defeat to Nottingham Forest last Saturday, a result that leaves them 14 points behind leaders Liverpool. They've also been dumped out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup.
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Yet the meeting between Ratcliffe and Ten Hag went well. "It’s no secret that Sir Jim and Sir Dave have been in town for a couple of days," a club spokesperson told The Sun. "On this occasions they were at the training ground and it was all about getting to know you."
Ratcliffe didn't just speak to Ten Hag. He also chatted with the first-team squad, various members of staff and their women's side. The spokesperson added: "Sir Jim also met the staff as well as the women’s team and the whole outcome was very positive."
Although Ratcliffe's meeting with Ten Hag sounds positive, there could be some trouble on the horizon. A source has told ESPN that Ten Hag is reluctant to give up any power and wants to stay in charge of United's transfer business.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has already started making plans at Manchester United (PA)Do you think Erik ten Hag has a long-term future at Manchester United? Let us know in the comments below!
That is unlikely to happen, with Ratcliffe set to build a new football structure. Ten Hag's signings have been poor since his appointment in May 2022, with £85million man Antony scoring just four goals and providing two assists in 41 Premier League games.
It's also claimed that Ratcliffe wants to give Ten Hag until the end of the season to prove his worth, but a managerial change could be made sooner if results don't improve. Former Chelsea boss Graham Potter is the leading candidate to take over at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag recently said he was "looking forward" to working with Ratcliffe. He said: "I was kept informed in the whole process, first by Richard Arnold (former CEO) and then Patrick Stewart (interim CEO), so I knew what was going on. We’re looking forward.
"I think it is positive for the club that they are stepping in. They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level - F1, a cycling team, football clubs. They can only help us and support us to get our targets. They want to work with us and we want to work with them."
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