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Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly fumed at club staff about their poor level of preparedness for the summer transfer window, just weeks before they embarked on a major spending spree.
United had a busy window that saw them splash over £200m on five key recruits including Joshua Zirkzee, Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt, Noussair Mazraoui and Manuel Ugarte.
There were also several outgoings, in what was a major break from the summer windows fans were accustomed to under the Glazers.
Apart from the fact that United endeavoured to offload unwanted players on a larger scale, the other notable thing about the window was the relative speed at which club bosses moved to get deals over the line.
According to ESPN, United’s ability to operate more quickly and efficiently was mostly down to the new football structure put in place by Ratcliffe and INEOS.
The new team was led by CEO Omar Berrada and comprised other members such as Dan Ashworth (sporting director) and Jason Wilcox (technical director).
ESPN further note, ” Instead of relying on a small group of key personnel, sources have told ESPN that a larger team of senior figures, which also includes director of scouting Steve Brown and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell, meant United were able move more quickly in the market.”
“It meant that of the five senior players signed this summer, only Ugarte arrived after the start of the Premier League season. Yoro and Zirkzee were signed before the start of the U.S tour.”
It’s understood that within Old Trafford, there is a recognition that the window wasn’t perfect but overall, it is being regarded as “a considerable win.”
ESPN also revealed that the summer didn’t start very well for United as there was little to no movement – a state of affairs that did not go down well with Ratcliffe, who made no secret of his frustrations to club staff.
“According to sources with knowledge of the meeting, Ratcliffe addressed staff in the run-up to the FA Cup final, where he admitted to frustrations that the recruitment operation was not ‘up to full speed.’”
“Part of that, according to Ratcliffe, was down to the difficulty United faced in trying to get Ashworth released from his contract at Newcastle United, but staff left the meeting with the sense that Man United were well behind in preparations for what was a crucial window. A number of agents and intermediaries felt the same, and calls into the club were often met with the same response: ‘We’re waiting for feedback from Ineos.’”
“Sources close to Ineos have since told ESPN that it was a deliberate stalling tactic because there were a number of issues up in the air in the weeks after the FA Cup final.”
In addition to the stalemate over Ashworth – who was placed on gardening leave by Newcastle – the other issue INEOS had to navigate was the future of Erik ten Hag.
Only after clarity was provided on the respective situations of Ashworth and Ten Hag did United’s recruitment efforts finally kick into full gear.
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