Summary Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to shake up Manchester United's recruitment structures, targeting more homegrown talent to bring a domestic feel to the team. Ratcliffe believes English players with Premier League experience would be beneficial at Old Trafford, despite the inflated market compared to Europe. Paul Mitchell had emerged as a leading candidate for the Director of Football role, but the new investor appears to have changed tact.
Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly has an exciting new hire in his sights as he lays the foundations for his expected arrival at Old Trafford.
Manchester United's takeover latest…
Following a long drawn out saga regarding the ownership situation at Old Trafford, Ratcliffe is edging closer to taking control of 25% of the Premier League giants' affairs and he is said to have plans to shake up their recruitment structures once he enters the fray at the Red Devils.
According to The Daily Mail, Ratcliffe plans to urge his recruitment team to target homegrown talent as he aims to introduce a more domestic feel within the core of Manchester United's side, which has dwindled in recent years due to a focus on shopping in foreign markets for new players.
The 71-year-old is said to believe that the previous experience of the English game gained by prospective signings from the Premier League would prove to be beneficial at Old Trafford despite the market becoming inflated in comparision to other avenues for recruitment around Europe.
Looking ahead to January, Erik ten Hag is keen to add a right-sided central defender, defensive midfielder, number eight and striker to his squad; however, his January wishlist may depend on the timescale as to which Ratcliffe is installed in the North West, as per The Guardian.
Financial Fair Play concerns will also dictate the Red Devils' mid-season transfer activity, with Harry Maguire, Scott McTominay and Anthony Martial potentially on the chopping block.
Manchester United's next five fixtures – Premier League
Opponent
Venue
Newcastle United (A)
St James' Park
Chelsea (H)
Old Trafford
Bournemouth (H)
Old Trafford
Liverpool (A)
Anfield
West Ham United (A)
London Stadium
Now, a fresh report has indicated that Ratcliffe could make an exciting appointment at Manchester United to help put his stamp on matters at the club.
Dougie Freedman now top Director of Football candidate
According to Football Insider, Crystal Palace sporting director Dougie Freedman has emerged as a leading candidate to take up the position of Director of Football at Manchester United.
Former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton man Paul Mitchell was believed to be in the frame for the role, but a twist has seen Ratcliffe focus on the Palace transfer guru instead, with Mitchell slipping down the pecking order of potential contenders for the role.
Brought to Selhurst Park in 2017, Freedman played a significant role in the acquisitions of Eberechi Eze, Marc Guehi and Michael Olise and has previously been labelled "brilliant" by Crystal Palace co-owner and chairman Steve Parish on The Rest is Football podcast.
Undoubtedly, Manchester United have slipped behind their rivals Manchester City among others over the last decade or so as a potential destination for players, with part of this reality being down to the differing appeal of both clubs in regard to silverware.
Nevertheless, Ratcliffe's prospective tenure is likely to offer some hope to disgruntled elements of the Red Devils' fanbase and the initial signals coming from his end look to be encouraging ones.
