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Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada has spoken frankly about the club’s prospects of reaching the level of crosstown rivals Manchester City, making it clear that there are no quick fixes.
The Moroccan told The Athletic that “anybody who has worked in football for a long time could tell you that it’s almost impossible to put a timescale” on United returning to the very top of the domestic and European game.
The very top is an area he knows well, having spent more than a decade at City before he was poached by INEOS to spearhead their off-field rebuild of the footballing structure at Old Trafford.
Berrada took on his first role with City in August 2011, meaning during his tenure in English football he has seen United win only one Premier League title compared to City’s eight.
The only remaining link to that 2013 title victory is 36-year-old defender Jonny Evans, who returned to Old Trafford as a free agent last summer.
And the fact that he played the same number of league games under Erik ten Hag last season as he did under Sir Alex Ferguson in his triumphant final campaign speaks volumes of the position United are in right now.
Berrada clearly articulates the path forward, explaining the formula for teams enjoying consistent success: “it’s because they have the right coach, they have signed the right players, they have the right structure around the coach and the players.”
Along with sporting director Dan Ashworth, he has the mammoth task of rebuilding United into a genuine contender for the highest honours in the game and he believes that the recent transfer window was a step in the right direction.
“We want to create a team that is capable of competing for the Champions League, for the Premier League and for the domestic cups on a consistent basis,” he said. “So, to build that, we need to be doing more of what we have done in this window.”
Certainly United’s latest transfer activity has been an improvement on the erratic recruitment that has defined the last decade as key areas were sensible reinforced.
This included adding Joshua Zirkzee up top to replace the outgoing Anthony Martial and bringing in midfield enforcer Manuel Ugarte on deadline day.
The long-term view espoused by Berrada is evident in the acquisitions of Leny Yoro in a big-money deal from Lille and Sekou Kone from Malian club Guidars FC. Both players are just 18 years old and were brought in with at least one eye on the future.
This chimes with Berrada’s view that “you need to take good decisions consistently for many years to get into a position where you are a financially sustainable club that is competing to win every single competition.”
While it’s comforting to hear the CEO speaking calmly about heading towards a successful future, at present alarm bells are already starting to ring following United’s 3-0 humbling at home to Liverpool.
Berrada and Ashworth have already come out and backed the manager, albeit before that result, but their commitment to having the right coach, right players and right structure will inevitably be tested should results not pick up.
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