There were huge problems for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to solve following his takeover of Manchester United.
There have been glaring issues at Manchester United for years now, ranging from the leaky roof at Old Trafford, to the skyrocketing wage bill and a lacklustre leadership team.
Ratcliffe has implemented an elite executive team at Old Trafford including CEO Omar Berrada and newly-appointed sporting director Jason Wilcox.
A new £2bn stadium plan and a £50m investment in Carrington is addressing the lack of infrastructure improvements made under the Glazers, but so far Ineos have struggled to get it right when it comes to on-pitch results.
But the Red Devils are headed in a positive direction and one area that has seen a lot of improvement is in player recruitment.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner of Manchester United, looks on before the trophy presentation after the 2025 UEFA Europa League final between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United at the Estadio de San Mames.
Photo by Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
Ineos have improved Man United’s recruitment
Last summer, Ineos were flawless with their recruitment with all seven signings making a positive impact in their first season at Old Trafford.
On top of that, Ineos regained control over United’s wage bill by making sure each signing agreed to a reasonable salary.
Patrick Dorgu agreed to a £38,500 per week contract and has immediately become a regular starter at United. The shift to signing younger players also means United have made signings who will likely grow in value rather than drop.
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Noussair Mazraoui was the oldest signing at 26 years old, but his versatility has already proven incredibly useful at United.
The strategy to recruit young players has continued this summer with Matheus Cunha signed from Wolves for a £62.5m fee and a £60m bid submitted for Bryan Mbeumo.
2025 is biggest recruitment test for Ineos at Man United
The recruitment was strong last summer, and United fans are delighted at Cunha joining to kickstart this summer’s rebuild.
But recruitment works in both incomings and outgoings, and that is where the biggest test lies for Ineos in 2025.
Cunha has already arrived and Mbeumo is following closely behind, but there has been a worryingly low amount of progress made with sales.
Ineos want to sell Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Antony as a top priority this summer but all three deals are proving difficult. Sancho’s permanent move to Chelsea collapsed due to the player not willing to accept a wage cut.
With just days until United’s pre-season training begins, all three players are still on the books at United and that will worry Amorim.
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United still need to sign a top-class striker, but affording a player like Viktor Gyokeres or Victor Osimhen will require funds being raised through sales.
Alejandro Garnacho, Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund are three others who have been linked with an exit this summer, and the window will only truly be judged as a success if Ineos are able to clear out players as efficiently as they can bring them in.