Man Utd: Inside Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Old Trafford revolution
Behind the scenes, the changes have been staggering.
The motivation was twofold.
In assessing the club’s inner workings, senior figures around ownership concluded the process was “oversized”, according to an observer close to the process.
In other words, there were too many people and too much work.
They came up with a structure that required United to play in the Champions League and challenge to win the Premier League every season. Failure creates financial hardship.
When such a situation was reached and losses were so high, reducing the number of personnel was a harsh but inevitable reality.
An initial cull of 250 staff was carried out a few months after Ratcliffe’s arrival to reduce numbers.
It is internally accepted that the pain created is too great, the shock too great.
It was the second round of 200 redundancies this year that allowed the hierarchy to pursue a different staffing model so that finances could be used in a way deemed more efficient.
Nowhere is the impact of this more evident than in United’s data operation.
In an interview with the popular United We Stand fanzine in December 2024, Ratcliffe described the club’s approach to data analysis as “last century”.
Formula 1 was thought to be the most advanced sport in its use of data and artificial intelligence. The performance of each component is monitored down to the smallest detail, and success and failure can be measured in hundredths of a second.
As a result, Michael Sansoni’s arrival as data director from the Mercedes F1 team in April was one of the least surprising moves.
Sansoni has completely revamped United’s data capabilities, which are now widely used across performance, recruitment and training.
The exact details of the work Sansoni has implemented are a closely guarded secret, but a source said the work of United’s data and analytics team has now accelerated to the point where they are “among the top four teams”.
Following the second set of layoffs, there was a strategic focus on hiring people described as “well-rounded people with versatile and versatile skills who can help in more than one area.”
However, it is the senior appointments that really attract attention.
A short list of new arrivals among the Old Trafford club’s senior staff reveals 19 names.
Not all exits were forced, and as with any large organization, a change in ownership can lead to further downward moves; but the scale of change has been significant.
Two important names remain: Collette Roche and Martin Mosley.
Operations Director Roche is leading United’s representation around the proposed new 100,000-capacity stadium and wider Old Trafford regeneration works.
Mosley joined United in 2007 and took over as general counsel in the summer of 2024 following the departure of Patrick Stewart, currently Rangers’ chief executive.
While Roche and Mosley’s presence is considered a crucial link to the pre-Ratcliffe era, those running the club fully understand the scale of United, which may come as a shock even to the likes of chief executive Omar Berrada (Barcelona/Manchester City), chief operating officer Marc Armstrong (Paris St Germain), performance director Sam Erith (Manchester City/Tottenham/FA) and recruitment director Christopher Vivell (Chelsea/Red). Bull) – has experience of working in big clubs.
Ineos trusted figure Roger Bell became United’s finance director and Kirstin Furber arrived from Channel 4 as people director.
But it goes much further. A head of sports medicine and a new doctor for the first team, a new physiotherapist and a new head of performance. Experts in nutrition and soft tissue therapy. Academy director. Media director. All the details of one of the leading Premier League clubs of 2025.
Many key figures from the previous era, who negotiated important deals, treated players and presented the public face of the club, are gone.
No one can be sure whether the future will be better or not.
As with any other club, external judgment on the success or failure of off-field change can be rapid and almost always dependent on first team results, which can be dependent on inherently arbitrary moments.
At United, it is acknowledged that there is an immeasurable lag time between the start of new processes and their results.
But sometimes it becomes clear that a particular move has failed.
Dan Ashworth clearly falls into this category. Hugely respected in the game, Ashworth’s desire to leave Newcastle to take up the role of sporting director is still perceived positively at Old Trafford and reflects well on the changes made and the expected future direction.
But he was gone within five months after United paid Newcastle £3 million in compensation.
Sources deny there is a split over who will replace Ten Hag.
But there were differences of opinion, disagreements over how Ashworth’s job should be run, and parting ways with another severance payout of around £4m seemed the inevitable outcome.
