Moving in the right direction? A review of INEOS's work at Manchester United.

Karan Ahgun

— 4 min read
Moving in the right direction? A review of INEOS's work at Manchester United.
Photo by Nat Callaghan / Unsplash

INEOS's minority acquisition of Manchester United was ratified in February this year and they so far have done a decent job of running England's biggest football club. To be fair, it couldn't have been that hard to run the football club better than the Glazer family but I think that credit has to be given for having a clear strategy and putting in place some of the best-in-class people to get the cogs working at United. So what more can INEOS do to ensure that United return to the summit of English football?

INEOS's first step was to bring in Omar Berrada as the new CEO in January 2024, before the minority takeover was even announced. This was surprising news when it first broke and was a statement of intent from INEOS showing that they meant business by snapping up City Football Group's Chief Football Operations Officer. Berrada's work at CFG included some expertise on player transfers and contracts which will be very handy to United, especially after seeing some of the recruitment decisions which have been made in recent times. Berrada's appointment can also be seen as a departure from the commercial-first mindset previous Manchester United CEO's have taken. He will likely bring a football-first mindset, in that building a winning team will ensure commercial success. Overall, I believe that Berrada's acquisition will be really helpful for the football club as they look to recover from years of financial and recruitment mismanagement.

One of INEOS's main goals was to install a footballing structure to make running the football club more efficient and effective. With Omar Berrada already snapped up, they had to look for football directors. From early on, it was touted that their top choice for the Director of Football role was Dan Ashworth. Ashworth was at Newcastle United, who had recently poached him from Brighton & Hove Albion, and it was evident from the start that this was not going to be an easy negotiation. Newcastle reportedly wanted £20 million for Ashworth (which is absurd) but INEOS were only willing to offer £2-4 million in compensation. So why is Dan Ashworth so highly rated? His stock rose at West Bromwich Albion, where he was part of a team that got 2 promotions and a top-half Premier League finish but he really started getting attention whilst working at the FA. He implemented the "English DNA programme", which established a defined play style for all England teams. His close relationship with Sir Dave Brailsford would have also helped him secure the Director of Football role. In the end, United paid around £2.5 million to Newcastle and Ashworth was able to start work immediately. He was a pivotal player in the deals for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro and United fans would hope that he could help the team move players on as well such as, Victor Lindelöf and Scott McTominay.

Furthermore, INEOS have also added Jason Wilcox as Technical Director from Southampton. He was the former Academy Director at Manchester City (making that connection with Omar Berrada) and his responsibilities will include promoting academy graduates into the first team, smart recruitment and creating a central style of play along with Dan Ashworth and Erik ten Hag. This summer, Manchester United have also revamped their coaching set up after deciding to continue with ten Hag. They have brought in Ruud van Nistelrooy, René Haké, Andreas Georgson and Jelle ten Rouwelaar in an effort to improve the performance on the pitch compared to the 2023/24 season.

So what's on the horizon for Manchester United with INEOS? Well the recent news which has come up has been surrounding the plans for a stadium rebuild. After watching a tour of the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, where United played Arsenal, it is easy to see why INEOS are reportedly taking inspiration from modern stadia and leaning towards building a new stadium rather than refurbishing Old Trafford. A new stadium would cost around £2 billion and would likely take up to 6 years to finish construction. I believe that a new stadium is the way to go for Manchester United because the club needs to have the best possible facilities to keep pace at the top of European football. A new stadium would also open opportunities for new revenue streams for the club. For example, Tottenham's new stadium has introduced new revenue streams such as concerts, NFL UK and an Formula 1 experience. The final decision is set to be announced at the end of this year but I think that it is pretty obvious that INEOS are leaning towards a new stadium.

So far, INEOS have had a pretty decent start to life as decision-makers at Manchester United. Yes, there is more to do, in terms of team-building and financial healing, but these things take time so judging them harshly at this point is unreasonable in my opinion. As a United fan myself, I have some optimism that INEOS will eventually get the club back to the top but we have to be patient!

Talk soon!

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