Manchester United hold talks with former Liverpool man as Sir Jim Ratcliffe's rebuild continues - Reports
Manchester United have reportedly held talks with ex-Liverpool man Julian Ward over becoming the Red Devils' head of recruitment (via Metro).
Sir Jim Ratcliffe officially became a co-owner of the Manchester outfit on Tuesday night after his deal for 27% of the club was finalised. The 71-year-old INEOS chief has appointed Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc to the club's board, and the duo are in charge of looking after appointments in the new structure.
Further, Omar Berrada will join as Manchester United's CEO, while Dan Ashworth has also been touted with a move to Old Trafford. It is believed that the fresh management is looking for one person who will solely focus on the recruitment of players and report to Ashworth.
As a result, Ward has been linked with the job. He was responsible for bringing the likes of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah to Anfield. Addressing the restructure, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said (via Metro):
"We have to ensure that the right people end up in the right positions. Every person in management must be world class. And then it is important to create a positive, supportive, friendly and high-quality environment. That culture was missing before."
"Only in such an environment can you get the best out of sportsmen. If successful, the results will follow automatically. That’s the plan and I believe in it."
Manchester United haven't enjoyed the best of times of late, with their last Premier League success coming in the 2012/13 season.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe yet to confirm stance on Erik ten Hag as Manchester United restructure continues
Amid Manchester United's inconsistent form this season and Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking over as a co-owner, questions have been raised about manager Erik ten Hag's potential departure.
Manchester United are out of the Carabao Cup and the UEFA Champions League (group-stage exit). They're currently sixth in the league, five points behind fourth-placed Aston Villa.
With these circumstances in mind, Sir Jim Ratcliffe said when asked about Ten Hag's future (via Mirror):
"I'm not going to comment on the job he's done because that would be inappropriate. What is relevant to that question is that, if you look at the 11 years that have gone since David Gill and Sir Alex stepped down, there has been a whole series of coaches."
"The only conclusion is that the environment in which they were working didn't work."
He added:
"We have to do that bit, so I'm not really focused on the coach but on getting that bit right. It's not for me to judge that."
Up next for Manchester United is a home fixture against Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday (February 24). The Red Devils are on a good run at the moment, having won four consecutive league games.