John Murtough ‘definitely’ leaving Man Utd as Sir Jim Ratcliffe exodus continues
Incoming Manchester United investor Sir Jim Ratcliffe will replace Red Devils football director John Murtough when his deal to buy 25 per cent of the club is ratified.
The British billionaire is closing in on a deal to buy a portion of the club from the Glazer family with journalist Ben Jacobs insisting that it could be confirmed early this week.
“Understand Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% stake in #MUFC will not be announced today,” Jacobs revealed on Friday.
“The hope remains it will be confirmed early next week, and before Thanksgiving, with an announcement this week always termed ‘feasible but optimistic’ by sources.”
Richard Arnold has already stepped down as Man Utd chief executive ahead of Ratcliffe’s investment with Patrick Stewart taking interim control as a permanent successor is sought.
And now it looks as though Murtough will follow Arnold out of the club with the Manchester Evening News claiming that Man Utd are ‘planning to replace’ him ‘as part of sweeping changes amid impending investment from the Ineos Group’.
The MEN add that a ‘well-placed source’ has claimed that Murtough is ‘definitely going’ as Ineos and Ratcliffe look for ‘a new figurehead for the football department’.
The report continues:
‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the Ineos founder, has held virtual meetings with United co-chairman Joel Glazer about probable personnel changes.
‘It is understood more changes are planned behind the scenes at United, with the Ineos delegation unimpressed by other departmental strategies.’
Nice boss Francesco Farioli, who has led the French club to second in Ligue 1 this season and just one point off leaders Paris Saint-Germain, has experience working with the club’s owner Ratcliffe.
And Farioli has encouraging news for Man Utd fans with the Italian expressing his delight at how the set-up at the French club is working.
“I like to listen to the feedback I receive because it’s good to have different perspectives and different input. Afterwards, I have freedom in the decisions on the pitch,” Farioli told the Daily Telegraph.
“In other things, a bit more for the medium and long term, there is always an open door. We share our opinions, and we have periodic, day-by-day or weekly conversations.
“But also with the club, we have a monthly review of everything with all the parts involved – about the strategy, about the present and also about the future.
“The ambitions of the club are already quite big, with the desire to bring the team back to Europe and to be constantly in European competition. This is the target, to dream big.”
