Manchester United’s appointment of new chief executive Omar Berrada from Manchester City is a sign of the influence already being wielded by incoming new investors, it has been claimed.
The i’s Pete Hall writes that ‘Sir Dave Brailsford and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s prints are all over’ that headhunting mission, which has seen Berrada step down from his post as chief football operations officer at City Football Group to take on the CEO job at Old Trafford.
The report adds that Berrada considered his job at City to have been done and that he was cannily enticed over by the promise of the new challenge of building United back up to their former glory after a decade of struggles - by their own high standards, at least.
United have just four major trophies to their name since Sir Alex Ferguson left the club in 2013 – two League Cups, an FA Cup and a Europa League. They have not claimed a Premier League title since Sir Alex’s final season in charge, with their best domestic campaigns since then, in 2017/18 and 2020/21, both seeing them finish as distant runners-up to City.
That has only intensified the pressure on the already-maligned Glazer regime, but United fans are hopeful that better days may lay ahead again after a deal was announced last month for Ineos billionaire Sir Jim to buy a minority stake in the club.
Cycling mastermind Sir Dave will now seemingly be tasked with leading the club’s attempts at a renaissance. The Telegraph reported on Saturday that he had stepped down from his job as team principal of Ineos Grenadiers to focus on his duties at Old Trafford, though Cyclingnews has since indicated that he will retain some supervisory involvement in the cycling team.
Berrada’s appointment is said to be viewed within United as a clear signal of intent from the incoming 25 per cent owners, who are widely expected to keep increasing their stake in the club until they eventually attain majority control. The initial purchase is still awaiting formal ratification.
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