SIR JIM RATCLIFFE is seemingly wasting no time in laying out his plans for the new-look Manchester United.
According to reports, The 71-year-old billionaire held virtual talks with co-chairman Joel Glazer and the two are said to have discussed structural changes and personnel changes.
And Ratcliffe is also set to be key in securing the services of £44million star Jean-Clair Todibo.
Elsewhere, Brazilian midfielder Casemiro is expected to be OUT of action until after Christmas with a hamstring injury.
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Follow ALL of the latest from Old Trafford below…
- By Kealan Hughes
Cole offers Sancho olive branch
Former England star Joe Cole wants to help Jadon Sancho rediscover his best form.
He said: “I would love to speak to him and his people and try to help.
“He’s clearly a young player with a heck of a lot of talent.
“It’s not going to work for him at Manchester United and I don’t know what his next move is, but there’s still a player in him.
“If I was a young coach I would take Jadon Sancho and fancy I could get the best out of him.
“Give me Sancho as a manager every day of the week… …a player of that quality needs a little bit of nurturing and help. I’d take him, and I think he’s a good player.”
- By Kealan Hughes
Man Utd receive injury boost
Marcus Rashford and Victor Lindelof returned to training yesterday ahead of the crunch tie with Copenhagen.
Defeat for the Red Devils could put them on the brink of Champions League elimination.
Rashford and Lindelof missed the win over Fulham so Erik ten Hag will be delighted to have them back so soon.
- By Kostas Lianos
Facing the axe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is wasting no time in laying out his plans for the new-look Manchester United.
Ratcliffe is expected to take over ownership of 25 per cent of the club in a deal worth around £1.4billion.
As part of the deal, Sir Jim will also assume control of United's football operations.
And while the deal has yet to be finalized, the 71-year-old has reportedly held meetings virtually with co-chairman Joel Glazer, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The pair are said to have discussed structural changes and personnel changes as chief executive officer Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough's days with the team could be numbered.
- By Kostas Lianos
Ray of hope
Manchester United and Newcastle are keeping tabs on Lyon star Rayan Cherki who has "massive attitude problems".
United and the Magpies are keen on signing Cherki, 20, who is considered one of the best young talents in Ligue 1.
Premier League teams will have to weigh out the playmaker's attitude problems and inexperience against his youth and promising talent if they want to sign him in January.
United are set to lose two wingers in 2024, as Jadon Sancho's career at Old Trafford appears to be nonexistent amid his ongoing feud with manager Erik ten Hag.
- By Kostas Lianos
Man Utd injury blow
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag confirmed a major double injury blow as Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez will be out until Christmas.
I have some time schedules, but it's always difficult to expect that because they can have setbacks during rehab periods.
Casemiro and Martinez are really strong injuries, I don't expect them back before Christmas.
Erik ten Hag
- By Kostas Lianos
Man Utd place predicted
A supercomputer has predicted Manchester United will finish ninth this season.
According to the findings, United are likely to suffer their worst ever Premier League finish.
The same stats find Manchester City will win the title while Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle will also qualify for the Champions League.
Tottenham, Aston Villa and Chelsea are next in line for a spot in Europe.
- By Kostas Lianos
Ange Postecoglou praised
Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has been hailed by ex-Manchester United stars Michael Owen and Gary Neville for his response to the ongoing refereeing controversies.
If every manager was this gracious our game wouldn’t be in the mess it is.
Managers have a huge responsibility to protect the game instead of whipping their fans up into a frenzy with biased nonsense.
Michael Owen
Premier League managers should just manage their football clubs.
I’ve never, and I never will, talk to a referee about the rules of the game. I was taught that you grow up and you respect the officials.
You know what managers do? I’ll tell you what managers do, me included, we try and find ways to bend the rules. To get around them.
Tell me what the rule is, and I guarantee that you’ll have a room full of managers processing ‘How can I get around this?’ We’re not the right people.
Gary Neville
- By Kostas Lianos
‘Stink in the drawer’
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag and other Premier League manager have been invited by Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta to speak out against “the stink in the drawer” of football.
If you have a problem and you put it in your drawer, the problem is still there and at some point it’s going to stink.
So we have to talk loudly to improve things and that’s what we are trying to do.
When we are all together for the managers’ meetings, we all share the same feelings about this.
And I am sure I have the support of those managers when they are not directly affected by these decisions.
Mikel Arteta
- By Kostas Lianos
Man Utd's Rat race
Manchester United are keen on signing Nice star Jean-Clair Todibo, who could be available for around £44million.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to purchase 25 per cent of United from the Glazers and the British billionaire could be vital in the move for Todibo.
That is because the centre-back plays for Nice, a club that Sir Jim also owns.
According to CaughtOffside, the France international could now come in during the January window to fix the Red Devils' defensive woes.
- By Kostas Lianos
Rooney's controversial picks
Birmingham manager Wayne Rooney snubbed Cristiano Ronaldo as he was asked to name his best Manchester United team-mate – and he produced a surprise when giving his worst.
Rooney declared: "Best team-mate, I'd probably say Darren Fletcher.
The striker then added: “My worst team-mate, there are a lot more than you'd probably think!
“On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with.”
- By Kostas Lianos
Neville calls from Prem action
Manchester United legend Gary Neville insists PGMOL has “got to start to protect referees” after Arsenal's intense complaints following their controversial loss to Newcastle.
At the very beginning, I was excited by the new transparency, the apologies to managers and the fact that the referees were communicating with the clubs.
But in return what they’re getting is significantly and seriously undermined by their own clubs and I think the Premier League have to get this in order.
Gary NevilleSky Sports
- By Kostas Lianos
Step too VAR
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed Arsenal’s statement against PGMOL by describing it as “poor” as well as “dangerous”.
I think the Arsenal statement is quite dangerous.
I think all clubs have signed up to a new behavioural charter at the start of the season.
I'm not saying that referees shouldn't be put under pressure and Mikel Arteta or other managers shouldn't feel aggrieved at the end of matches.
What I am saying is that the clubs themselves should definitely behave better in these circumstances.
Gary NevilleSky Sports
- By Kostas Lianos
Arsenal’s Art attack
Arsenal are set to hit the PGMOL with a list of complaints when they next meet with the ref chiefs.
According to the Daily Mail, the Gunners will address Newcastle’s controversial winner along with several others as cases of bad officiating against them.
Among them is the decision not to send off Manchester City ace Mateo Kovacic when the Treble winners visited the Emirates last month.
Kovacic twice avoided a red card for dangerous tackles with the Gunners going on to win the match 1-0.
Also included in the list is the North Londoners’ 1-1 draw with Brentford last season when VAR Lee Mason failed to draw the lines to determine whether Ivan Toney was offside when he netted the equaliser.
Another example Arsenal will point to is the decision to rule out Gabriel Martinelli’s opener during their 3-1 loss to Manchester United, which the PGMOL later admitted they got wrong.
- By Kostas Lianos
More on shake up
The regulator will force all teams to have a licence to play football, which is conditional on them passing strict criteria.
An Owners’ and Directors’ Test will conduct checks on potential buyers to ensure figures with murky sources of wealth like ex-Chelsea supremo Roman Abramovich are blocked.
A minimum standard of fan engagement will also give supporters a say over kit and colours.
The regulator will also be able to raid Premier League coffers and distribute it down to struggling lower leagues if the clubs themselves cannot come to an arrangement.
- By Kostas Lianos
Football ownership shake up
Football supporters were cheering today as a sweeping crackdown on dodgy owners was formally announced during the King’s Speech.
PM Rishi Sunak confirmed plans for an independent regulator to protect bad proprietors driving clubs into the ground or wrecking their heritage.
It will also ban clubs joining breakaway competitions like the doomed European Super League, and consult fans on all major changes.
King Charles stated: “Legislation will be brought forward to safeguard the future of football clubs for the benefit of communities and fans.”
The proposed charter was leaked to The Sun in full last year but fears were growing it was being kicked into the long grass.
But today’s inclusion in the King’s Speech outlines the Prime Minister's hopes to have it ready by the next election.
- By Kostas Lianos
Rival fans slam Arteta
Rival fans hit out at Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta following his comments about VAR against Newcastle.
One posted: “Arteta is a cry baby. He can never ever accept his team lost. He does it every time.”
Another wrote: “Still crying on Tuesday.”
And a third said: “There’s defending and then there’s being downright rude, dramatic and disrespectful to the team that beat you.
“Be gracious, work out where it went wrong and go again. This crying feels endless. It’s one loss, get over it.”
- By Kostas Lianos
A b-Roo-tal assessment
Birmingham City ace Ethan Laird recalled the "scary" time he crossed paths with his current manager Wayne Rooney in Manchester United training.
I haven't actually told Wayne this! When I was really young, a couple of us trained up.
I must have been about 15 or 16. We went to the first team and saw all these stars.
Wazza was there and you could see from the off his mentality, the tackles he put in, he worked hard.
It was almost scary for us as young kids: this is the level.
You see it in the way he is as a manager with us now and he wants that.
Ethan Laird
- By Kostas Lianos
Marcus Rashford injury update
Manchester United star Marcus Rashford missed the trip to Fulham on Saturday with an injury.
Rashford sustained a heavy knock during United's last training session before travelling to Craven Cottage on Friday.
Although the forward did travel with the squad the next day, he failed a fitness test ahead of the Premier League game.
It is unknown if the England international will be absent from the next few fixtures.
- By Kostas Lianos
Ratcliffe on Ten Hag
Sir Jim Ratcliffe will allow Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag to continue at the helm after agreeing a deal to buy a stake in the club.
Ratcliffe is set to take over football operations at United once his 25 per cent stake is finally confirmed.
Ten Hag is under pressure after the Red Devils' disastrous start to the campaign, though the club did pick up a valuable 1-0 win at Fulham on Saturday.
However recruiting a new head coach is not a priority for Sir Jim at the moment, according to the Mirror.
The British billionaire is instead more concerned with improving the Manchester giants' transfer business.
The 71-year-old is believed to be confident the Dutch tactician can change United's fortunes if he is given more time and the support of an effective recruitment strategy.
- By Kostas Lianos
How about that
PGMOL chief Howard Webb is set for a massive VAR grilling when he addresses a recent set of controversial decisions.
The weekend’s football action saw Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta brand the officiating a “disgrace” after his sides 1-0 defeat to Newcastle.
Other games over the weekend where VAR was called into action saw Harry Maguire ruled offside for Scott McTominay's opener minutes into the Manchester United and Fulham game.
Webb will address all the complaints in the coming days after another weekend of VAR controversy.
The former Premier League ref is due to appear on the latest episode of “Match Officials Mik’d Up” which is scheduled to be broadcast at the start of next week in the international break.
Anthony Gordon’s winner for the Toon is expected to be given top billing.
- By Kostas Lianos
Fernandes linked with exit
Manchester United skipper Bruno Fernandes could be set for a shock exit.
Transfer insider Rudy Galetti has has claimed the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund are exploring a deal for Fernandes
The PIF, who are also majority shareholders of Newcastle, control stakes in the Saudi Pro League's four biggest teams Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, Al-Ittihad and Al-Ahli.
It's now suggested PIF officials are set to hold talks with the playmaker's entourage over the potential for future talks.
- By Anthony Chapman
Rashford and Fernandes talents 'wasted'
Joe Cole reckons Man United are not getting the most out of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.
He said: "Rashford and Fernandes are both world-class players.
"They're outstanding footballers but they’re in a system that’s not allowing them to express their creative abilities.
"Rashford is the face of Manchester United and Bruno is the captain but I wouldn’t want my creative players to be the main leaders."
PANIC ATTACK Man Utd are ‘holding Rashford and Fernandes back’ with new captain advised
- By Anthony Chapman
Rooney reveals favourite teammate
Wayne Rooney admits Darren Fletcher was his favourite Manchester United teammate… while Nani was the toughest!
He said: “Best team-mate, I'd probably say Darren Fletcher.
“My worst team-mate, there are a lot more than you'd probably think!
“On the pitch, the toughest one was Nani. He was frustrating to play with.”
- By Anthony Chapman
United finish predicted by supercomputer
A supercomputer reckons Man United will finish ninth this season.
The boffin PC predicts Erik ten Hag's side will have a dismal campaign, with rivals City winning a fourth straight title.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle will get Champions League football, with Spurs, Aston Villa and Chelsea also finishing in Europe.
Down the bottom, Burnley, Luton and Sheffield United are tipped to go down.
- By Anthony Chapman
Copenhagen vs Man Utd – TV info
Man United face a crucial Champions League fixture against Copenhagen on Wednesday evening, as they could fall to the bottom of Group A should they lose… or go top with a win.
- Copenhagen vs Manchester United will be broadcast LIVE on TNT Sports 1 in the UK.
- Coverage is expected to commence from 7pm GMT – a whole hour before kick-off.
- Fans also have the option to stream the action through Discovery+
- Alternatively, follow SunSport's live blog for minute-by-minute coverage of the entire match.
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