The first six changes Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to make now FA have approved Man Utd deal

Sir Jim Ratcliffe will make six changes at Manchester United now that his investment in the club has been approved.

On Wednesday the Football Association approved Ratcliffe and Ineo's purchase of a 25 per cent minority stake in Man United.

The FA's approval was the final hurdle to be cleared, after the proposed deal passed the Premier League's enhanced directors and owners tests.

While the Glazer family have owned United since 2005 and will remain majority shareholders, the deal represents a significant shift in the way the Premier League giants are run.

Now that Ratcliffe, right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford and Joel Glazer have taken control of footballing matters at Old Trafford, there are six changes they want to implement as soon as possible.

The first of those is to appoint a new director of football to replace John Murtough, who is expected to vacate the position.

According to Sky Sports, United are planning a formal approach for Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth.

Ashworth is understood to be happy in his role, but United's shock appointment of former Manchester City Chief Football Operations Officer Omar Berrada as their new CEO has given club bosses confidence that they can poach any official they like.

Ratcliffe is reportedly considering keeping Murtough at Old Trafford in a different capacity, rather than pushing him out of the club completely.

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Following that, Ineos will start a full audit of football affairs which Ratcliffe hopes to be completed before the start of the summer transfer window.

Next on the to-do list is an overhaul of playing personnel, with several members of Erik ten Hag's squad considered not good enough to play for the 20-time top flight champions.

When Ineos' investment deal was first agreed, the plan was to take control of football operations. However, there is now reportedly an agreement that Ratcliffe & co will take over the business side of things too.

Finally, Ratcliffe sees the modernisation of Old Trafford as crucial for the club returning to the pinnacle of club football. Reports earlier this month claimed that Ratcliffe wants to create a 'Wembley of the North' on the current site of the Theatre of Dreams.

It's certainly an ambitious set of objectives, but they will need to be achieved if United are to return to their former glory.

Topics: Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Premier League, Football, Transfers

Alex Brotherton

Alex Brotherton is a Sports Trends Writer at SPORTbible. He has previously worked with publications including the Manchester Evening News, GOAL and BBC Sport. He is a football fanatic, but also dabbles in tennis and American football. He enjoys running, cooking and watching non-league football.

@alex_brotherton