Erik ten Hag to discover Man Utd fate in public Sir Jim Ratcliffe statement
Under-fire Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is expected to discover his fate next month once incoming part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is allowed speak publicly about his plans.
Ratcliffe's £1.3billion deal with United's owners, the Glazer family, is set to be ratified by the Premier League in early February. Through his 25 per cent stake, the INEOS chairman and his colleagues from the petrochemicals conglomerate will run the football side of things at Old Trafford, leaving the unpopular Glazers in control of the club's financial operation, as they have been since 2005.
Once given the green light by Premier League officials, Ratcliffe will be free to air his views on United's current state of affairs and Ten Hag's hotly-debated future. The Athletic report that he and INEOS representatives plan to speak publicly in the coming weeks and a range of topics - including Ten Hag's management and the appointment of new CEO Omar Berrada, poached from local rivals Manchester City - will be discussed.
The Red Devils have lost 14 of their 30 games in all competitions this season, with their miserable results and all-round poor performance piling the pressure on Ten Hag. The Dutchman's transfer business has also come in for criticism, with £82million winger Antony and £350,000-a-week midfielder Casemiro two examples of Ten Hag's expensive but so far failed recruitment strategy.
Ten Hag's insistence on signing players who have played in the Dutch Eredivisie as well as clients of his agent, Kees Vos, has also seen him receive plenty of flack. The former Ajax boss recently defended his record on signings, arguing ahead of the 2-2 draw with Tottenham which Ratcliffe attended: "I know everything is highlighted more at the moment, because the performances aren't there.
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"But don't forget, last season everyone was saying how the signings for Manchester United were very good because, as a team, we performed. Everyone was saying how great [Lisandro] Martinez was doing, everyone was telling me [Christian] Eriksen was a top signing.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe watched the recent 2-2 draw with Tottenham alongside ex-Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (Manchester United via Getty Images)"T yrell Malacia? Very smart. Then we had Antony, who was doing okay. Casemiro? Brilliant, everyone was saying last season. So we must judge them in the moment. I think all the signings are top players."
Barring a brief address to journalists ahead of Spurs game, Ratcliffe's only public comments on United since reaching an agreement with the American family came within a club statement, as they announced his deal on Christmas Eve. "As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the Club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United Board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the Club," the 71-year-old, born in Failsworth, said.
"Whilst the commercial success of the Club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
"We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the Club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford. We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion.
"We are committed to working with everyone at the Club – the Board, staff, players and fans – to help drive the Club forward. Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football."
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