Manchester United's football department will soon officially be led by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who already has plans in place at Old Trafford ahead of the January transfer window
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is ready to make significant changes at Manchester United after finally striking a £1.3billion deal with the Glazers.
While INEOS founder and chairman Ratcliffe will only boast a 25 per cent stake, the 71-year-old Brit and his colleagues will take control of United's football operations as well as pledging a further investment of $300million (£236m) into the club. In his statement he made a pointed criticism of the club's transfer dealings.
Ultimately planning to become United's majority owner, boyhood Red Devils supporter Ratcliffe noted: "Whilst the commercial success of the Club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times."
That's put the focus on which players he feels are unfit to continue to at Old Trafford, with seven key names emerging.
First off, Jadon Sancho is the obvious candidate to leave Old Trafford in January - barring soon-to-be confirmed Eintracht Frankfurt loanee Donny van de Beek - a month in which Ratcliffe's deal is expected to be ratified. Sancho, who United chased for over a year and eventually shelled out £73million on in 2021, has had a public falling out with manager Erik ten Hag and not even featured since August. A separation appears all but certain in the winter window, with former club Borussia Dortmund linked with a reunion.
Continuing with players who are out of favour, Anthony Martial is set to leave United next summer when his contract expires, although could go sooner if the Red Devils find a buyer. The French forward is now 28 and failed to live up to his potential, with many United supporters viewing him as the epitome of deep-rooted issues at the club which have allowed underperforming and overpaid stars to outstay their welcome.
Sticking in the forward line, Ten Hag's biggest signing, Antony, could also find himself on the chopping block. The former Ajax winger has failed to made good on his £85m price tag, with fans' patience wearing seriously thin following a string of underwhelming displays both this season and last.
On the other hand, Brazilian compatriot Casemiro enjoyed an immense debut campaign but has fallen off drastically in 2023-24. Close to returning from injury following a three-month layoff, the ex-Real Madrid midfielder's spark seems to have gone out. Notably, too, his £60m arrival last summer was privately criticised by Ratcliffe during a meeting with club chiefs earlier his year.
His long-time team-mate in Madrid, Raphael Varane, is another player whose stock has plummeted this term, with links to Saudi Arabia intensifying ahead of his deal expiring in June. The World Cup-winning defender has only just regained his place under Ten Hag due to a raft of defensive injuries and sorely misses regular partner Lisandro Martinez, who's been one of United's better (but still expensive) pieces of recent business but remains sidelined.
Another centre-back likely to wave goodbye in June is Victor Lindelof, who's just never cut it in the big moments for United since joining from Benfica in 2017. The 29-year-old Swede is now captain of his country but only injuries to the likes of Varane have allowed him to earn minutes under Ten Hag and the exit door is looming, as the Red Devils could look to cash in in January.
Ratcliffe is set to implement a more hardline approach when it comes to contracts, although Lindelof, Varane and Martial each have one-year extension clauses which can be triggered between now and the summer. Listen to Old Trafford legend Gary Neville's recently comments, though, and it's difficult to make a case for rewarding some those players with longer stays.
"They will let you down when they give you a glimmer of hope that they might be on track, they go lose a game they shouldn't," Neville declared of the United squad on his Sky Sports podcast following Saturday's dismal 2-0 loss away to West Ham. "They have Aston Villa on Boxing Day but could lose against Nottingham Forest four days later.
"That's how daft it is and that's just what we watch. Inconsistency is a really bad trait in all walks of life, you want to be reliable and consistent. It's really important. United are inconsistent and the problems go a lot deeper, it's cultural failure all the way through the club, which can only be fixed by new ownership."
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