Sir Jim Ratcliffe drops major hint over new Manchester United CEO

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has dropped a hint over the make-up of his Manchester United board after Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc of INEOS were spotted at Old Trafford on Thursday.

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The British billionaire’s 25% stake in the club is set to be confirmed in the next fortnight.

The deal, which will see Ratcliffe pay £1.3bn for a quarter-share, will give the Brit sporting control of operations at United.

While Ratcliffe plans to take a hands-on approach to life at Old Trafford, he will entrust decisions to experts at a sporting level.

Brailsford, who has performance director at Team Sky, is a close ally of Ratcliffe and is expected to take up a similar role at Old Trafford.

However, Brailsford was joined by Blanc at Old Trafford to meet United executives, in what is an intriguing turn of events for United fans.

Blanc oversees INEOS’ sporting portfolio and he is relatively new to the role after leaving Paris Saint-Germain.

But his presence at Old Trafford suggets he’s in line for a hands-on role, and he could replace outgoing CEO Richard Arnold.

Ratcliffe hopes to have a deal completed in the next fortnight, and it will take another six weeks for the move to be ratified by the Premier League.

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