Sir Dave Brailsford, Jean-Claude Blanc and who could join Jim Ratcliffe's Man Utd revolution
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's announcement as a minority shareholder in Man Utd is imminent.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe's imminent arrival at Manchester United has fans buzzing for the future - and he's already earmarked potential changes at the club.
Ratcliffe's interest in United was laid bare at the start of last season with increasing reports suggesting he would take complete control of United over the Glazer family, though with the American-based owners wanting to stay in some capacity, fans have had to settle for a lesser influence. Of course, recent news has emerged that he is set to take a 25 per cent stake in the club and there have already been changes with CEO Richard Arnold set to depart the club in the coming weeks.
But with Ratcliffe taking a look at solving the sporting issues on and off the pitch, there have already been various reports that he will be recruiting players, staff and directors to help oversee a rocky patch at Old Trafford - and as a result, the Manchester Evening News takes a look at those who have been reported to join the 'Ratcliffe revolution'.
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Firstly, reports suggest that Crystal Palace's former player, boss and now current director of football Dougie Freedman has been sought after by Ratcliffe to head their director of football position.
Freedman has emerged as an early contender once Ratcliffe is appointed, with his exploits at Palace ranking him as one of the best in the English game. John Murtough is currently in this role but is understood to be under threat.
Freedman has been Palace’s director since 2017, where they’ve pulled off shrewd pieces of business including the likes of Eberechi Eze, Joachim Andersen, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise amongst others - all of whom have been linked with top Premier League and European clubs - for a combined fee of £58million. With his eye for talent, there is no doubt Freedman would be a good candidate for the job at Old Trafford.
Additionally, Jean-Claude Blanc is reportedly set to be integrated into the fold. The 60-year-old was the former marketing executive at PSG, and the former CEO of Juventus - and his experience at European global powerhouses will bring an elite mentality to Old Trafford to propel them back to the top-level.
Sir Dave Brailsford, the sporting director of Ineos, is expected to have a role to play too. The MEN understands Brailsford has been visiting Carrington ahead of Ratcliffe's arrival being rubber-stamped.
Brailsford, previously the head of British Cycling and Team Sky, was part of the Ineos delegation who visited United in March. He is know as a pioneer of sporting perfection, obsessed with a 'marginal gains' winning strategy.
It has also been suggested that Paul Mitchell could replace Murtough as the club's new sporting director. The 42-year-old has a reputation as an expert in recruitment for his work in roles at Tottenham, Southampton and AS Monaco among others.
Liverpool wanted to hire him earlier this year. Mitchell has also worked with RB Leipzig, the New York Red Bulls and MK Dons.
One of the great defenders, Paolo Maldini is another of the names linked with the job. Maldini moved upstairs at AC Milan in 2018 and was promoted to technical director by 2019. Three years later, the Rossoneri won their first Serie A title for more than a decade.
Throughout his time as technical director, Maldini implemented a clear transfer strategy and was successful with many of his signings taking the likes of Rafael Leao, Theo Hernandez, Sandro Tonali and Fikayo Tomori to the Rossoneri.