Manchester United are set to have the football operations overseen by Ratcliffe - and the Ineos CEO's former Nice manager has offered an assessment
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been told what to expect working for Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the British businessman likely to hear whether he has been successful in acquiring 25 per cent of the club for £1.3bn this week.
Former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira worked under Ratcliffe's ownership for 18 months at French side Nice between 2019 and 2020, and has previously offered his insight to FourFourTwo about the prospective minority stakeholder in Manchester United.
The Frenchman is positive in his assessment of Ratcliffe, explaining that Erik ten Hag shouldn't worry about his work being undermined or micromanaged at Old Trafford.
Ten Hag's position won't be under threat (Image credit: Getty Images)
“He’d never interfere with my work,” Vieira told FourFourTwo. “We’d talk about football when we met, about the team and our lives, but he’s not an owner who will get involved too much and prevent the manager from doing his job.
"His ambitions and expectations are high, so you know where you stand, but you can do your job freely.”
Vieira's positive comments come even after being sacked by Ratcliffe following a run of 5 losses in a row in all competitions. Clearly, the Frenchman enjoyed his time in charge of the Ligue 1 side while working under the stewardship of Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe will look to expand Old Trafford (Image credit: Getty Images)
While Erik ten Hag doesn't have to worry about doing his job freely, other staff at Manchester United might have more cause for concern.
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According to The Times, the positions of both CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough are under threat should Ratcliffe's bid be accepted. The Ineos chairman will take control of football operations at the club if his purchase of a minority stake is completed, and is expected to overhaul senior staff at the club in order to yield more success.
The playing squad can also expect changes, while Ratcliffe is planning to expand Old Trafford to 90,000 seats, making it the joint-largest stadium in the UK along with Wembley.
Ryan is a staff writer for FourFourTwo, joining the team full-time in October 2022. He first joined Future in December 2020, working across FourFourTwo, Golf Monthly, Rugby World and Advnture's websites, before eventually earning himself a position with FourFourTwo permanently. After graduating from Cardiff University with a degree in Journalism and Communications, Ryan earned a NCTJ qualification to further develop as a writer while a Trainee News Writer at Future.
