SIR JIM RATCLIFFE was present at Old Trafford to witness Manchester United’s 2-2 draw with Tottenham on Sunday afternoon.
It was the first time the Red Devils’ new co-owner had attended a match since buying 25% of the club for £1. 03 billion and taking over football operations.
Meanwhile, Man Utd are reportedly a move for Benfica prodigy Joao Neves.
Elsewhere, Hannibal Mejbri is closing in on a loan move to European giants Sevilla.
Follow all the updates below. . .
Erik ten Hag is convinced he and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are making a song from the same sheet music after the two sat down for a long discussion this week.
Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent purchase of the club – which sees him take control over football operations – has put ten Hag’s role under the microscope.
But despite rumours of uncertainty surrounding his future, Ten Hag is feeling “very positive” about what lies ahead.
The Dutch coach said: “On many issues we are on the same page, very much on both sides.
“I can say that it was a very constructive meeting and we’re looking forward to working with each other.”
Jadon Sancho will not be leaving Manchester United permanently according to reports.
The Old Trafford pariah will be loaned out to his former club, Borussia Dortmund.
But German journalist Florian Plettenberg said Dortmund would not include a takeover option in the deal.
It is said that the reasons are partly down to the transfer fee that Man Utd would require to let him go as well as his wage demands.
It has been reported elsewhere that the Bundesliga side are expected to only pay between 30 and 40 per cent of Sancho’s wages should a deal be agreed – with Man Utd footing the remainder of the bill.
Manchester United target Joao Palhinha has reportedly reached an agreement with Bayern Munich.
The Fulham midfielder had been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with Erik ten Hag as a reinforcement on the pitch.
But those hopes have taken a blow after Sky in Germany reported that there is a verbal agreement between Bayern Munich and Palhinha and the 28-year-old is keen on the move.
While it’s not over yet, Fulham are reportedly set to stick to their £60m value set this summer.
The Bavarians would like to secure Palhinha for less than that, but Fulham will not budge as things stand.
Premier League icon Troy Deeney has listed the wonderkids he’s tipping for a great season.
And the Forest Green Rovers boss has selected Kobbie Mainoo as one of his goes.
Deeney believes Mainoo has managed to shine despite the poor performances of Erik ten Hag’s side.
He said: “We wouldn’t possibly be sure of United with Ten Hag, but we’re sure how much Mainoo makes them better when he’s in the team. “
Anthony Martial has been presented with an escape route to Manchester United via Fenerbahce.
The 28-year-old is in the final six months of his contract at Old Trafford and is unable to speak to foreign clubs.
Martial is expected to leave on a flexible move this summer, when his contract expires, but Fernerhace is reportedly keen to close a deal this month.
According to Turkish outlet Takvim, Fenerbahce need to sign him now and have made an initial offer of £6. 8m to the Red Devils.
Sutton United star Harry Beautyman has revealed he turned down a shirt swap between three Man Utd players when he faced the Northampton club in 2016.
The 31-year-old recalls that Wayne Rooney, Michael Carrick and Marcus Rashford turned him down when he asked to change shirts.
He said: “Mourinho was a coach that day. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, you’re playing against a team. Some coaches are resting the big shots, but Rooney played, Rashford, Carrick, Ashley Young and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came in.
“I went to Rooney and asked for his blouse and he said, ‘I’m so sorry, I gave it to one of your other guys. ‘
“Then I went to Rashford and he told me exactly the same thing, just like Carrick.
Manchester United are still searching for another centre-forward despite the arrival of Rasmus Hojlund this summer.
And rumours are circulating about who could sign for the Red Devils to add some attacking intensity to Erik ten Hag’s side.
Chelsea flop Timo Werner has been linked to a loan spell at Man Utd while he struggles with RB Leipzig.
But Werner isn’t the only former Prem striker linked with Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, 35, which is being suggested.
United have also been linked with Stuttgart’s target player Serhou Guirassy, but he will face the festival of several top clubs for his signature.
Manchester United would pay the bulk of Sancho’s salary when he completes his loan spell at Borussia Dortmund.
The Red Devils outcast is expected to return to his former club in the coming days.
And according to iNews, the German organization will fund between 30 and 40% of Sancho’s salary.
United are said to be willing to subsidise the remaining amount of his £350,000 weekly salary just to get a deal done.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly told Manchester United that his aim is not to make money from his investment in the club.
Instead The Athletic reports that the British Billionaire is far more interested in returning Man Utd to its former glory.
Ratcliffe is said to be solely aiming to win the biggest and best trophies with the Old Trafford outfit after investing over £1BILLION in a 25 per cent stake of the club.
Sir Alex Ferguson has given Sir Dave Brailsford a brutal lesson that can have an effect on Manchester United.
The former functional director of British cycling will join the board of directors at Old Trafford following the acquisition of football operations by Ineos.
And according to cycling journalist Daniel Friebe, Sir Alex has given Brailsford a recommendation that could cause turmoil in the Old Trafford dead zone.
He told Sky Sports: “I’m talking about the conversations he had with Sir Alex Ferguson.
“This is going back maybe 10, 15 years. I think one of the things that Ferguson used to say that Dave definitely retained was: ‘Get rid of the disruptive influences, get rid of people who aren’t working in the same direction as you’.”
If Braildford implements the sustainable advice, a number of players could be expelled and sent to Man Utd in the coming months.
Anthony Martial is reportedly set to leave Manchester United on a free at the end of his contract.
It has been reported that the Red Devils are considering offering the Frenchman a new contract, but according to TalkSPORT, the club will let him go.
It is understood that if Martial fails at a new club this month, he will leave Old Trafford when his current contract expires this summer.
Man Utd have the option to renew the 28-year-old’s contract for a year, but Erik ten Hag has shown that has still happened.
Manchester United fall short of facing Wigan in the FA Cup in their next match.
And boss Erik ten Hag hopes this will be an opportunity to build momentum ahead of a series of matches.
Wigan manager Shaun Maloney is instilling confidence in his League One ahead of their FA Cup clash against Man Utd.
The Latics host the Red Devils on their home turf on Monday night and Maloney believes his team can pull off a result.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said: “I think there are things that we have to look at to damage them or certain spaces where we can damage them. That’s my job, I have to check to locate them.
“I have to give my players the belief that we can do it. We have to create a match which is extremely difficult for Man United.”
United are prioritising a full-back in the January window.
And SunSport has exclusively revealed that Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez is at the top of their wish list.
The Red Devils are looking to see the 22-year-old Spaniard in action with La Liga’s top-flight side.
Erik Ten Hag is willing to receive reinforcements after finishing Sergio Reguilon’s loan spell at Spurs.
Premier League clubs including Manchester United could make a transfer swoop for Paulo Dybala after his rumoured release clause was reported.
The Roma striker and World Cup winner will reportedly be available for just £10. 35 million until January 15.
Fabrizio Romano adds that the clause will come back into force for a month in July.
Dybala has been linked with a move to England, with United, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle connected over the years.
However, he has been in Italy since 2012 with Palermo, Juventus and now Roma.
Former United manager Jose Mourinho will make his Netflix documentary about him.
The legendary coach remains a highly debatable figure in football despite his successes in Portugal, England, Spain and Italy.
But the Roma boss believes even more people might think he’s a “complete idiot” after watching the show.
The Special One said: “I’ll give you some news, a documentary about me starts on Netflix, it’s a documentary about my career and it starts on Thursday.
“There are things we’ll know there, I get paid well. I hadn’t signed with Roma yet, but I had given my word.
“A club came in here and asked me to break my agreement with Roma, which wasn’t signed yet, and I didn’t.
“When the documentary comes out, I’m going to say I’m a complete idiot. “
Eric Bailly has revealed that he feels “hopeless” and “worthless” about his injuries at Old Trafford.
Bailly joined the club in 2016 but was sidelined for long periods and was left free to sign for Besiktas this summer.
The Ivorian, whose contract in Turkey expired last week before returning to Villarreal, said: “You feel helpless because you can’t replace anything when you’re injured.
“You don’t have to feel worthless, but that’s exactly how you feel. You have to go back to education, but in the bigger clubs the festival is huge. “
The Red Devils are in a position to battle with Brighton and Luton for the ‘new Moises Caicedo’ as Casemiro’s long-term replacement.
Oscar Zambrano, 19, has been lighting up the Ecuadorian league for his club LDU Quito.
United have been keeping an eye on the youngster in recent weeks, with club bosses deciding to avoid a repeat of the 2021 fiasco with now Chelsea star Caicedo.
The Red Devils subsidised a deal to sign him from Independiente del Valle for just £4. 5m, and Brighton stepped in to pick up the pieces, before promoting him to the Blues for £115m.
And the pressure is on for Erik ten Hag to avoid an embarrassing defeat at Wigan – or else it could be curtains.
That’s for Mark Lawrenson.
The former Liverpool defender told Paddy Power: “After Manchester United’s lacklustre performance against Nottingham Forest, if they lost to Wigan, Erik ten Hag would have to say, ‘Thank you but no thank you’, because that’s the worst result possible for them, no disrespect to Wigan.
“With Sir Jim Ratcliffe he was five coaches at OGC Nice.
“With Manchester United, there are so many other things as well – the roof needs fixing, they will be selling people in the January transfer window, and the club needs a major overhaul, so what does he do?
“If Ten Hag loses at Wigan, he has to go – it’s become a laughing stock.”
Rasmus Hojlund was absent from the defeat to Nottingham Forest through illness but is likely to return to action.
Luke Shaw also didn’t show up at the City Ground after missing out with a minor issue.
André Onana has delayed his connection with Cameroon for the AFCON, so he will be able to play between the sticks for Wigan on Monday afternoon and for Tottenham on January 14.
But Sofyan Amrabat has already flown in to sign for the Moroccan national team and will therefore not be present at DW.
Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro returned to school this week, but the clash against Wigan may come too soon.
Harry Maguire, Tyrell Malacia, Mason Mount, Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial are expected to be absent.
Manchester United have finally been given an away draw in a domestic cup competition – but they still only have to travel 25 miles to Wigan’s DW Stadium.
The Red Devils hope to make their FA Cup run last year by losing in the final to rivals Manchester City.
And they begin their 2023-24 campaign with a trip to League One Wigan.
The start is at 20:15 with the ITV1 setting.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave a moving and “liberating” speech at Carrington.
The new owner of 25 consistent with Cent and Sir Dave Brailsford were at the club to continue getting to know the employees.
And he is said to have praised the club’s good publicity fortunes, while giving a straightforward assessment of the decline on the pitch. Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.
To accomplish his goals of winning trophies, Ratcliffe wants to build an elite enviornment at the club, with Brailsford addressing the need to overcome United’s “performance challenge” – with Erik ten Hag’s side having lost 14 matches this season.
Jadon Sancho’s expected loan move back to Borussia Dortmund has reportedly been delayed.
The outcast winger was expected to complete his switch to Germany imminently, with United supporters furious the Bundesliga side were set to pay just £3.4m for the loan despite Sancho earning £250,000 a week.
But now Germany’s Sky claims that negotiations are still resolved and that some problems are “dragging on”, adding whether there will be an option to buy Sancho this summer.
Sancho is fit to make the move, frozen since September, but is waiting for the green light from his club.
Manchester United fans have expressed frustration at the club’s activation of three contract extensions.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Victor Lindelof and Hannibal Mejbri were all entering the final six months of their deals – but have each signed on for another year until 2025 and prevent any free exits in the summer.
But one supporter said, “This is crazy. “
Another said, “Reward failure by handing out new contracts. “
And a third added: “Forever in mediocrity. “
Marcus Rashford is the only Manchester United player among the top 40 valuable footballers in the world.
England was ranked 14th on the Football Observatory’s list.
It is estimated at £117 million.
His next Old Trafford teammate on the list is Rasmus Hojlund, with £86 million.
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