Brailsford to step back from Man Utd in another major Ratcliffe reshuffle

Daily Mirror

2 days ago

Sir Dave Brailsford will step back from his role at Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe changes his hierarchy with the cycling icon turning his attention to other roles in the Ineos structure
Sir Dave Brailsford is set to step back from his current role with Manchester United as Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues to change his hierarchy - which has so fair failed to yield any success at Old Trafford.
The cycling supremo will return to his director of sport role for Ineos. He had previously stood down as team principal of Ineos Grenadiers when Ratcliffe purchased his stake in United and took charge of football operations. Brailsford was initially crucial to the change the new owners wanted to implement.
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The Times reports that Ratcliffe wants Brailsford to return to his former role so that he can oversee transitions elsewhere in Ineos sport portfolio whilst also reviving some of his focus on cycling. Brailsford is due to aid the Ineos Grenadiers management team of John Allert, the chief executive, and performance director Scott Drawer.
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Ratcliffe has remained committed to his cycling projects despite majorly cutting back in some of his other investments. Sponsorship of the All Blacks has ended and the British billionaire has also called time on his pursuit of the America's Cup.
Despite the well documented struggles in Manchester Ratcliffe believes Brailsford has played a major role in the positive transitions that have been made. He's credited with changing the performance set-up and leading the £50m redevelopment of Carrington.
The Ineos Sport's team unit led by Brailsford will again be managing Ratcliffe's other football investment, Ligue 1 club Nice, who failed to qualify for the Champions League.
United have endured plenty of upheaval in the senior management since Ineos took over, some of it not welcome. Dan Ashworth was brought in to be the director of football but left after only five months in charge despite the club chasing him for a prolonged period when he was at Newcastle. The decisions taken by the hierarchy have also proved massively unpopular with a huge number of jobs cut.
United's season finished with a whimper as they eventually ended in 15th - a new low in the Premier League. That came after they were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham, which cost them a spot in the Champions League and the riches that come with that.
The hierarchy are also under the microscope as they look to make their latest managerial decision work. Ruben Amorim was bought in but has endured a horror few months. That comes after Ratcliffe's lieutenants chose to keep Erik ten Hag last summer, only to sack him shortly after.