Three things Sir Jim Ratcliffe must address once of his takeover of United is ratified

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks set to see his 25 per cent purchase of Manchester United finally ratified after weeks of speculation.

The Glazer family looks finally set to relinquish sporting control of the club with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.5 billion investment into the club set to be concluded soon.

It’s clear that there are many areas of the club that certainly need addressing if his takeover of the club is to be successful.

Here are the three most urgent areas that Ratcliffe and his Ineos team need to address once they get their foot in the door at Old Trafford.

Sporting director role

The Sporting Director role, arguably one of the most important positions in modern football, is a position that United have avoided for years and years.

It was only in 2021 when John Murtough was appointed as United’s first sporting director but it would be fair to say that he has struggled in this role.

Whether it’s Paul Mitchell or Dan Ashworth, United needs to get this appointment right.

The director shapes the entire football club and the strategy that every level of the team must follow. It’s vital United get it right.

Old Trafford

Old Trafford is a superb footballing stadium. That statement is not one that can be questioned, due to the amount of history the ground holds.

However, despite the history it holds, Old Trafford needs a restructuring. A report from the Daily Mail revealed that Ratcliffe wasn’t planning on building a new stadium, but rather improving the current one.

This is the right way to go. This can’t be a slow process. The stadium is in desperate need of improvement and the hope will be that Ratcliffe agrees with that sentiment.

Improving, or expanding Old Trafford will be key to United’s success on and off the pitch.

Ten Hag decision

Perhaps the most important decision of the 71-year-old’s reign will be what he and Ineos decide to do with Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman is under pressure at Old Trafford but the club are just seven points off the top of the table with some tough fixtures for the sides leading the league coming up.

When Todd Boehly took over Chelsea, sacking Thomas Tuchel and bringing in Graham Potter was a rather poor decision and Ratcliffe can’t afford to make a similar mistake.

Sticking with the Dutchman could be the big decision made by Ineos but the former Ajax boss’ role must be head coach rather than manager.

No longer can Ten Hag make the sole decisions around transfers, a sporting director to assist the 53-year-old is badly needed.

Sticking or twisting with Ten Hag may well define Ratcliffe’s ownership of the club.