“Seems to be conceding authority and status here” - Body language expert decodes Manchester United boss Ten Hag’s meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe
A body language expert attempted to decipher Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag's meeting with the club's new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils' manager was understandably eager to put on a good impression on the INEOS billionaire, as the club have not had it easy on the pitch this season. The red Devils stand eighth in the Premier League table with only 10 wins in 20 games. They have also been eliminated from both the UEFA Champions League as well as the EFL Cup.
However, it does not seem like he was able to achieve his goals, as body language expert Judi James raised some observations about their interactions. She said to Daily Star Sport:
"Ratcliffe’s body language clearly oozes relaxed charm and charisma here but ten Hag’s pose looks robotic and stiff. Ratcliffe keeps his hand in his pocket while ten Hag’s looks raised to shake."
James continued:
"Ten Hag seems to be conceding authority and status here with a bit of a fan-boy smile on his face. Ratcliffe’s hand is firmly on top in the shake, signalling power and authority while ten Hag keeps his free hand in his pocket to suggest he’s delaying any opinions and keeping his powder dry."
Sir Jim Ratcliffe recently acquired a 25% stake in Manchester United. This ended over a year of negotiations that nearly saw a Qatari consortium led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani fully take over the club. However, the Glazers had no intentions of letting go entirely, and they ceded to Ratcliffe's offer for a quarter of the shares.
Jadon Sancho set to leave Manchester United this January, with Borussia Dortmund deal-in-principle reached
Jadon Sancho is reportedly set to return to the Bundesliga as a deal-in-principle has been reportedly reached with Borussia Dortmund for a six-month loan move. According to ESPN, the England winger has expressed his desire to return to the Signal Iduna Park, where he came into the limelight with his goalscoring abilities(50 goals, 64 assists in 137 games).
While that led to a £73 million move for his services over two years ago, his time at Manchester United has not met expectations. He has managed 12 goals and six assists in 82 appearances across all competitions. The forward's last appearance for the club came in August 2023 when the Red Devils defeated Nottingham Forest 3-2. A public fallout with Erik ten Hag the next week saw him relegated from the first team entirely.
Now, the deal in principle with Borussia Dortmund is set to be a loan move for Sancho, which could provide the forward with playing time. The loan will include payments to cover a part of the winger's wages. However, it has been reported that there is set to be no buy option for the German club at the end of the loan spell. If there are no concerns around negotiations, the deal is expected to be completed in the first weekend in January.