Exclusive: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s boardroom plan revealed after Man United deal agreed
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is looking to build his own executive team after agreeing a new hire, sources have told Football Insider.
Ratcliffe has overseen several changes at Old Trafford since taking over the footballing operations in February 2024.
Those changes have seen more than 400 members of Man United’s staff made redundant, with David Harrison – the club’s director of football operations – understood to have been included in the second round of redundancies.
The Athletic reported on 8 October Man United are set to appoint Brentford’s chief operating officer Ameesh Manek as their new director of football operations, starting in 2026.
Sources have told Football Insider Manek’s appointment is part of Ratcliffe’s wider plan to reshape the Old Trafford executive team with his own people, who are fully onboard with the new regime.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe green lights Man United overhaul
Ratcliffe purchased an initial 27.7 per cent stake at Old Trafford after agreeing a £1.25billion deal with the Glazers.
Ratcliffe has since increased his stake in Man United to 28.9 per cent after injecting around £240million into the club.
Sir Dave Brailsford was handed a leadership role at Old Trafford last year as part of the new regime following his work at INEOS.
However, it was confirmed in June that Brailsford has relinquished his day-to-day role at Man United as Ratcliffe recalibrates his executive team.
That saw Jason Wilcox, who Manek will be reporting to, promoted from his role as technical director to director of football.
Manek has become the second senior man to join Ruben Amorim’s side from Brentford in recent months after Stephen Torpey was appointed as academy director in August.
Ratcliffe pursuing new stadium plans despite Man United takeover latest
One of Ratcliffe’s primary focuses at the moment in time is the new stadium plans.
Man United announced plans to build a 100,000-seater stadium in March this year as part of the government’s regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
Ratcliffe has insisted he wants the new stadium, which the club believe will cost around £2bn, to be the “world’s greatest” and potentially be completed within five years.
Despite the stadium plans, there has been plenty of talk recently around a potential takeover at Old Trafford.
Saudi sports chief Turki Al-Sheikh revealed last week Man United are in an advanced stage of completing a sale to a new investor, adding he hope’s they are “better than the previous owners”.
However, Al-Sheikh later confirmed the potential Man United investor isn’t from Saudi following the reaction to his initial post.
It has been reported investors from the United Arab Emirates are exploring a takeover deal, but it is currently unclear whether an official bid will be launched to buy the club.
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