Football Digest: Ratcliffe closes in on deal for 25% stake in Man Utd
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag is reportedly set to receive assurances over his future at the club as Sir Jim Ratcliffe hopes to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils. There have been some questions surrounding the Dutchman’s position after a disappointing start to the season, but he appears to retain the confidence of the INEOS chief.
ESPN have claimed that Ten Hag will be informed that he is part of Ratcliffe’s plans at United should he be successful in obtaining a minority share of the club, in exchange for approximately £1.3billion. After Qatari bidder Sheikh Jassim pulled out of the race, the Brit was in pole position to invest. Part of his plan it to oversee the sporting side of United.
A board meeting is set to be held on Thursday where a deal could be finalised. The English businessman was hoping to end the Glazers’ time in charge of United, but the family are likely to keep their majority ownership at least in the short term – though Ratcliffe could make another attempt at a full takeover in the future.
Under Ten Hag, United finished third in the Premier League and won the Carabao Cup last season, but this campaign has been a different story. They are currently 10th in the table after four wins and four defeats from their opening eight games and have lost both of their opening Champions League matches against Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
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After United were defeated at Old Trafford by the Turkish side, fans made their voices heard by booing the team at the final whistle, having lost six of their previous 10 games. The pressure had been ramped up on Ten Hag, who admitted that he could understand the supporters’ frustration.
“They can expect, I am responsible for this team, for the performance, for the result – together with my squad,” he said earlier this month. “In this moment we don’t get the results and they are then disappointed, I can understand that. Yeah, we have to do better.”
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The Brentford match before the international break was described as pivotal and it took two late goals from forgotten man Scott McTominay to rescue the three points, as he had previously been overlooked by Ten Hag and linked away with a summer transfer that failed to materialise.
But with the takeover uncertainty set to come to an end this week, Ten Hag will be relieved that he has the backing of Ratcliffe.
However, there could be a major change in the structure around the Dutch boss as John Murtough’s role as football director is reportedly under threat and Monaco sporting director Paul Mitchell is viewed as a potential replacement.
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