Players from Manchester United walk out of meeting with INEOS chief in disbelief and frustration

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his INEOS team successfully completed their minority takeover at Old Trafford in February. They acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in the club from the Glazer family and also assumed control of all football operations at Manchester United.

The football structure has been revamped since that takeover with Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox brought in as chief executive, sporting director and technical director respectively.

But the size of the task at hand has become more apparent in the early stages of the 2024-25 season with United languishing in 14th place with Erik ten Hag, handed a contract extension after last May’s FA Cup victory, under increasing pressure.

Brailsford has been a key component in the INEOS machine, Ratcliffe’s right-hand man and the company’s director of sport who is credited with leading the revival of British cycling.

Brailsford was present in a number of early meetings at United, meeting the first-team squad in February to explain the vision for the club under the new regime. ESPN report that meeting did not go down well with the players who were suitably unimpressed.

‘Brailsford held a meeting with the first-team squad shortly after INEOS took charge of football operations at the club,’ a source told ESPN.

‘He sat there in a cream shirt and pair of cream chinos, telling the players that he lived on the most exclusive street in Monte Carlo, but that he was coming to Manchester because he was going to help make United better.

‘The players left the room rolling their eyes and shaking their heads. It was like they were supposed to be grateful that Dave had given up his idyllic lifestyle to save them all.

‘All they’ve seen since is cost-cutting and people losing their jobs.’

There have already been 250 redundancies at the club with the latest measure seeing Sir Alex Ferguson’s role as global club ambassador axed.

Eric Cantona, one of the club’s most esteemed figures, lashed out this week over that decision, describing it as ‘scandalous’.