Manchester United could focus on buying homegrown talent over foreign recruits, as Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains eager to put plans in place.
According to the Daily Mail, Manchester United could focus on buying homegrown talents in the future under the new leadership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe. The British billionaire is about to take control of sporting operations at Old Trafford, which could see him bring drastic changes to the club’s transfer policy.
Manchester United suffered another disastrous night in the Champions League as they surrendered two-goal leads twice against Galatasaray to return with only a point. The result puts their chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds in jeopardy as Erik ten Hag stares at another season in the Europa League.
One of the below-par performers in the game was summer goalkeeper signing Andre Onana. If the Cameroonian fails to make the grade this season, he will join a long list of big-name flops that have arrived at Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
Manchester United have spent more than £400 million in the 18 months that Ten Hag has managed the club, and so far, no signing have looked value for the money paid. The club have received ample criticism for their recruitment policy, as many have called for greater emphasis on transfers and targets.
The prospective arrival of British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe could see some essential changes in the background. The INEOS supremo has reportedly paid around £1.3 billion to gain a 25% stake in the club and will take control of sporting operations at Old Trafford.
If that happens, then Sir Ratcliffe will have the final say in recruitment, sales and other aspects of the team. He could also look to replace Ten Hag if that benefits the club in the long run. However, the greater emphasis at the start will fall on their transfer policy and what sort of player should arrive to make the team better.
For starters, they are already considering many names for the Sporting Director role, with Paul Mitchell a big target for Sir Ratcliffe. He would act as a liaison between the British billionaire and the club’s recruitment team, as well as the manager, thus compartmentalising processes that should help the club.
The significant change envisaged by Sir Ratcliffe is to focus on recruiting homegrown stars over foreign players. Manchester United have reportedly only signed seven British players since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club, and many of those could potentially leave in future windows, including Jadon Sancho.
Incidentally, they are linked with Jean-Clair Todibo, the French defender playing for OGC Nice, the Ligue 1 side owned by Sir Ratcliffe. While that move could still materialise, the billionaire wants a more significant focus on signing homegrown stars, as he feels that players with experience in English football would suit Manchester United better and help them play better.
Hence, one could see Manchester United go after many homegrown stars, who would incidentally cost premium fees. That’s not to say they will not look at foreign players, but British talents will get a good chance to get ahead of the former.
