Two Man Utd jobs are 'at risk' as Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes first key calls

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spoken to Manchester United co-chairman Joel Glazer about two changes which will impact manager Erik ten Hag.

Ineos founder Ratcliffe is close to finalising a deal which will see him take a 25 per cent stake in United and control of the club's sporting side.

The 71-year-old wants to overhaul United's sporting structure, including personnel changes.

Per the Manchester Evening News, Ratcliffe has spoken to Glazer on several video calls, with several names at risk.

Among them are current chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough. Both members of the United hierarchy have risen through the ranks and hold prominent positions, working closely with Ten Hag on transfers.

Arnold has been at the club since 2007 but assumed the chief executive role following Ed Woodward's departure in 2022.

Murtough, meanwhile, was appointed director of football in 2021 and is approaching his 10th anniversary of employment.

It wouldn't be the first time Ratcliffe has overseen an overhaul at a football club.

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Ineos currently own Ligue 1 outfit OGC Nice, who sit top of the league ahead of Paris Saint-Germain.

Last year saw Les Aiglons hire Fabrice Bocquet as chief executive in addition to Florent Ghisolfi as sporting director. Over the summer, Nice recruited smartly with several loans and focused on younger players.

It's a tactic that'll greatly excite Ten Hag, who recently defended the decision to shift his style of play since arriving in England.

He was criticised last month after suggesting he didn't have the squad to play the way he did at former club Ajax.

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Ten Hag later clarified his comments, stating: "The explanation from my point of view was totally wrong that I can’t play like Ajax because I have different players.

"I came here with my philosophy based on possession but also [I want] to combine it with the DNA of Manchester United and combine it with the competences and the characters of the players.

"We have seen what it was. We played very good football last season."

United return to action against Copenhagen in the Champions League on Wednesday evening.

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