What Sir Jim Ratcliffe did immediately after Man Utd craisis meeting speaks volumes

What Sir Jim Ratcliffe did immediately after Man Utd craisis meeting speaks volumes

Sir Jim Ratcliffe held a meeting along with some of Manchester United’s board members.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and members of the Manchester United board held a long meeting after the club’s poor start to the campaign.

The 24/25 season has been one to forget for United so far as Erik ten Hag continues to struggle.

After seven matches in the Premier League, the Red Devils are currently in 14th place after collecting just eight points, 10 adrift of leaders Liverpool.

United have also made a disappointing start in the UEFA Europa League after drawing against FC Twente and Porto.

On Tuesday, it was reported that Ratcliffe and some of United’s board members like Joel Glazer and CEO Omar Berrada, were involved in a seven-hour-long meeting.

It was suggested that the meeting centred around the future of manager Ten Hag, who is under increasing pressure.

Sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and director Sir Dave Brailsford were also seen arriving for the meet which began after 10am and concluded before 5pm.

As reported by The Mirror, Ratcliffe chose to leave the building via the back door in a bid to avoid answering questions from the media.

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It seems that ultimately a decision has not been made regarding whether to stick with Ten Hag or bring in a new manager.

Last week, INEOS boss Ratcliffe was directly asked about Ten Hag’s future, he said: “I like Erik. I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call.

“But that team that’s running Manchester United has only been together since June or July. They weren’t there in January, February, March or April – [CEO] Omar [Berrada], [sporting director] Dan Ashworth – they only arrived in July. They’ve only been there… you can count it in weeks almost – they’ve not been there a long time, so they need to take stock and make some sensible decisions.”

Ratcliffe added: “Our objective is very clear – we want to take Manchester United back to where it should be, and it’s not there yet, obviously – that’s very clear.”

Former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood is now thriving at Marseille in Ligue 1, but the 23-year-old has faced issues with fans and his manager.
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Mason Greenwood joined Marseille from Man Utd for £27m (Image: Getty)
Mason Greenwood has endured a rollercoaster of emotions since leaving his boyhood club Manchester United behind this summer, with a mixture of fan opposition and praise from his new manager highlighting the bittersweet nature of his career.

The 23-year-old left Old Trafford on a permanent deal after being told he had no future at the club and joined Marseille in a £27million move in July.

He is reportedly earning £348,000 a month (€415,000), which equates to a salary of £87,000 a week, after penning a five-year contract. That represents a slight haircut on the £100k-a-week deal he had at United before his departure.

Despite a rocky start to life in the south of France, which included him being booed by the home fans following his controversial move earlier this summer, Greenwood has settled quickly into his new surroundings.

Under pressure to explain their logic behind the move, Marseille president Pablo Longoria defended their decision to recruit the one-cap England international and suggested Roberto De Zerbi’s desire to sign him was the driving force.

“In our very first conversation with the coach [De Zerbi] we mentioned Mason’s name,” Longoria said in September. “The coach knew Mason from the past and it was a very quick conversation at the start between all of us because we believe in the talent of Mason.

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Mason Greenwood was handed the No 10 shirt for Marseille (Image: Getty)
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“There were a lot of conversations between all of us in the weeks leading up to his move. He is behaving fantastically with us and we are very happy to have him playing in our team.”

Greenwood silenced the boo boys after bagging twice in his debut in a 5-1 victory at Brest in their league opener. He also scored two goals in the space of a minute in another win over Toulouse and has netted five goals in seven Ligue 1 appearances in total.

He was then labelled the standout player in the league after his first three appearances for Marseille, earning praise from RMC Sport pundit Daniel Riolo.

“In terms of pure quality, over the first three games, Greenwood is perhaps the best player in Ligue 1,” Riolo said. “We’re not going to talk about the past and the fact that he’s banned from England, we all know his story. We’re going to talk about the pitch, it’s extraordinary.

Sunderland v Olympique Marseille – Pre-Season Friendly
Roberto De Zerbi, now in charge of Marseille, recently criticised Greenwood (Image: Getty)

“It’s maybe two or three flashes per match but it’s sharp, crazy. His precision, his speed of execution, we’re watching a guy who has qualities that are well above average. He’s above Ligue 1, he’s a very great player.”

But the situation no longer looks as promising with De Zerbi.

The former Brighton boss originally demonstrated his determination to give him a new lease of life in France and defended him on several occasions. However, he made a point of namechecking the Englishman when asked why Greenwood had gone four games without contributing a goal or assist.

“Some of our decisive players are not in shape, like Mason Greenwood,” De Zerbi said.

French outlet L’Equipe reports that Marseille remain unfazed by Greenwood’s small blip as he is not alone in letting his standards fall below their required level. In fact, the French side regard him as a key component of their future plans following a summer of lavish spending, which saw them splash out over £70m on seven new players.

They could struggle to keep him though, with interest from Europe’s elite clubs refusing to die down. Barcelona and Juventus were both strongly linked with Greenwood before he decided to head to the Velodrome.

But they are reportedly keen on reviving a potential deal for the forward, who is now rated at around £60m by his club – more than double what they paid for him only three months ago.

That would represent a quick profit for Marseille, leaving United boss Erik ten Hag to ponder what might have been if he kept him in and around the squad now that Greenwood is thriving elsewhere.