Sir Jim Ratcliffe is not the most popular man in Manchester right now, and for the right reasons, but his latest move also leaves his lieutenants Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox with nowhere to hide.
Michael Carrick’s fast start to life at Man Utd has relieved the pressure somewhat on Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox, who were reeling from Ruben Amorim’s sacking.
However, a big summer awaits, which will be make-or-break for the future prospects of the Old Trafford club.
Amidst all the transition, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made yet another move behind the scenes that leaves Berrada and Wilcox with nowhere to hide.
Manchester United's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe looks from the directors box before kick off of the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on September 14, 2025.
Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images
Are you happy with Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe goes all-in on Man City model at United
The path that started with Ineos’ first big hire of Omar Berrada from Man City has now become a well-taken road for many.
Jason Wilcox might have arrived from Southampton, but he truly cut his teeth in the City setup, and Dan Ashworth, the only major non-City hire, quickly got sidelined and cut.
Since then, Stephen Torpey arrived from Brentford, who had a history of coaching City’s youth teams, and Sam Erith joined as the “Performance Director” from the blue half.
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The City influx has now been strengthened by Darren Hughes, who joins from City as the Head of Academy Football Development.
It’s clear that Ratcliffe saw the operations at City as “best-in-class”, to borrow his favourite phrase, and has set about repeating that structure at Carrington.
While competence is never directly transferable, because a lot of intangibles like the environment, expectations, and culture play a part, it does leave Berrada and Wilcox with nowhere to hide.
Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox in the spotlight
Berrada was hired as the CEO, but Wilcox quickly shot up the ranks to become the Director of Football, having joined as a Technical Director.
What is your honest opinion of Jason Wilcox and his role as director of football?
Director of football Jason Wilcox in action during a first-team training session at the Carrington training complex in 2025 in Manchester, England.
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
The hiring right now at United has a sense of “jobs for boys” narrative to it, at least until the team proves themselves on and off the pitch.
Wilcox has used his network to beef up United’s staff ranks, and most of these hires have worked under Berrada as well.
“Best-in-class” has turned into the staff’s version of whatever Erik ten Hag did in the transfer market, and that didn’t end well.
It remains to be seen whether Ratcliffe’s “City-fication” of United’s staff structure pays dividends, but he’s gone so all-in on this project that the two people at the head of this project – Berrada and Wilcox – have no hiding place anymore.
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