Inside Manchester United’s worst Premier League season: Amorim’s emotions, Ratcliffe’s ideas and what’s next

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Manchester United’s season has been turbulent even by recent standards, but there was a period when some people at Carrington sensed the prospect of even more upheaval.

The week in February that Sir Jim Ratcliffe visited Carrington coincided with a freakish sequence of injuries which left United’s campaign looking in danger of unravelling badly. Kobbie Mainoo, Manuel Ugarte, and Toby Collyer were all forced off early from that Monday’s session, which carried a heavy athletic load, while Amad sustained damaged ankle ligaments three days later as Ratcliffe, by coincidence, watched from the sidelines.

Amad’s injury, caused as he rolled his foot pressing Andre Onana, may have been bad luck. But the trio of midfield issues amid the intensity of the first session that week, following two days off after a Friday night FA Cup tie against Leicester City, was discussed among staff. Mainoo and Collyer went down with muscle problems and Ugarte suffered a dead leg.

Ratcliffe was present at United’s training base for a medical meeting involving Ruben Amorim to scrutinise the setbacks, which left United fielding a bench full of academy players for that Sunday’s game at Tottenham Hotspur. There were tensions around the subject.

Some observers got the impression that Amorim was seriously contemplating walking away, such was his frustration with the performances and working environment. Amorim’s public statements around this time about facing an uncertain future, when he even said that the sack can be “liberating”, added substance to the suspicion. He said similar things at Carrington.

Amorim received assurances on transfer targets and future plans from chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, key figures of communication for Ratcliffe, and stayed. Meanwhile, Ratcliffe provided interesting context on his relationship with Amorim during his interview with The Times and The Telegraph a month later, on March 10.

“I really, really like Ruben,” he said. “He’s a very thoughtful guy. Every time I go to the training ground, I speak to Ruben. I sit down and have a cup of coffee with him and tell him where it’s going wrong, and he tells me to f*** off. I like him.”

Ratcliffe says he holds robust discussions with Amorim (James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)

Other staff at Carrington and Old Trafford have felt Ratcliffe’s focus too. When entering different rooms at the facilities in his early phase of controlling the club, he asked the likes of masseurs and chefs what they were doing and requested emails be sent to him outlining why they were doing it, while offering his own thoughts on various practices, including how he stretched before the London Marathon.

Ratcliffe’s visit in February came at a point when United’s status as a top-flight team was not yet secure, adding to Amorim’s sense of unease. He repeatedly talked about “surviving” the season.

A month earlier, Amorim had broken the habit of his career by addressing players in the dressing room after a game, venting such furious passion following the 3-1 defeat by Brighton that, as revealed by The Athletic, he damaged the large television used for tactics by slamming a table of energy drinks and inadvertently launching one bottle into the screen. 

Amorim had tears in his eyes as he implored players to be aware of the gravity of the situation and respond properly.

A new TV was purchased, at a cost of several thousand pounds, in time for United’s next game against Rangers four days later. United won 2-1 through a 90th-minute Bruno Fernandes goal.

Amorim is described as an emotional figure by those who know him, as he himself has conceded, especially around games. Ultimately, time passed, United got safe from relegation, progressed in the Europa League, and accord emerged.

Ratcliffe gave firm backing to Amorim in that round of media appearances in March. “I think Ruben is an outstanding young manager, I really do,” he told the BBC. “I think he will be there for a long time.”

In the aftermath of United’s Europa League final defeat by Tottenham Hotspur, and the realisation that the club will not have Champions League football next season, Amorim again addressed his future. In doing so, he provided an explanation on those inferences from back in February that he might step down.

“I am always open if the board and the fans feel I am not the right guy; I will go in the next day without any conversation about compensation,” he said. “But I will not quit. I am really confident in my job. As you can see, I will not change anything in the way I do things.”

It can now be revealed that Amorim flew to Monaco the Friday after the final and was, unusually, present at United’s executive committee meeting, which is a monthly gathering of the club’s ownership and executives. Amorim returned to Manchester and told his squad on Saturday that he would be staying.

“In difficult moments we blame each other sometimes as a club as a family, it is normal but we need to stick together and we will be OK,” Amorim said after ending the season with a 2-0 home victory over Aston Villa.

That result lifted United to 15th, still their worst-ever Premier League finish. “Today, after this disaster season, I want to tell you — the good days are coming,” said Amorim, addressing supporters from the Old Trafford pitch.

In this report on United’s extraordinary 2024-25 campaign, which is built on months of conversations with people familiar with the environment who will remain anonymous to protect relationships, The Athletic can reveal:

• Player doubts over Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system
• Power dynamic at executive level
• What United are prioritising in player recruitment
• Ratcliffe’s offer to watch Euros final on his yacht
• His role in hiring data specialist and cost of 78-year-old sprint coach
  
• The battle over United’s global tours
• Fernandes’ intervention after Zirkzee boos
• Truth about £175,000 body language consultant

Unlike with Amorim, Ratcliffe was tepid in his praise of Erik ten Hag, the manager he inherited from the Glazers. In October, when asked about Ten Hag’s future, Ratcliffe replied: “I think he’s a very good coach but at the end of the day it’s not my call.”

During their 10 months working together, Ratcliffe only had one proper meeting with Ten Hag, when he visited Carrington alongside Sir Dave Brailsford in January 2024. The rest of their interactions were cordialities, pointing to a thin connection that would snap at the first sign of trouble. Curiously, though, Ten Hag, according to people who know him, was surprised when the sack came because his communication with Berrada, Wilcox and sporting director Dan Ashworth was still good.

During the June summit in Ibiza and then pre-season in Los Angeles, they collectively vowed to go forward together, and signings were made on that basis. By contrast, Ten Hag had sensed distance in the build-up to the FA Cup final, when United figures were searching for a replacement.

In October, however, United had their new hire ready to go, so there was no noise before making the change, with Amorim the only target, at Berrada’s proposal. Ratcliffe and Brailsford had a face-to-face meeting to establish rapport.

Last May, United directors held two rounds of talks with Amorim, and liked him, but understood the difficulties and cost of revamping the squad to suit his 3-4-2-1 system with an evolving recruitment department. Wilcox, as technical director, questioned whether moving to a manager so wedded to a back-three formation would fit United’s traditions and the current squad.

Those doubts were shed by the time October arrived, with Sporting CP, under Amorim, blitzing the Portuguese top-flight and reaching a high position in the Champions League.

Amorim departed Lisbon a hero but has found life far tougher in Manchester (Gualter Fatia/Getty Images)

Berrada, a tactful rather than forceful personality, exerted a strong influence on the selection, solidifying his standing at United at a period when some at the club wondered whether he would last the course. Everyone was getting used to the idiosyncrasies of working in a Ratcliffe regime and there was significant turmoil caused by the redundancy programme cutting 250 jobs.

Instead, it was Ashworth who experienced an early exit, having clashed with Ratcliffe over many issues. He was not especially involved in keeping Ten Hag, a call Ratcliffe regretted. But, equally, he did not present a clear option to replace the Dutchman, rather a list of alternatives including Eddie Howe, Marco Silva and Graham Potter. Berrada, it is felt by observers, understood Ratcliffe wanted a defined path to follow in that moment and pressed for Amorim.

Ashworth, who had time to make up after starting later than others in the hierarchy, was also reticent to trim the football department as Ratcliffe demanded, feeling that the numbers proposed were arbitrarily decided.

Some people felt Ashworth could have continued in position, working quietly on Carrington business until the end of the season, when his departure, following five months anticipating his arrival at a cost of around £2.5million ($3.4m), would not have been as acutely embarrassing. Instead, Ashworth suffered the indignity of being led through Old Trafford’s press conference room by chief operating officer Collette Roche after Nottingham Forest had beaten United 3-2 in December.

Berrada and Wilcox, close after their time working together at Manchester City, gained status in the aftermath, while Roche’s role also changed, under Ratcliffe’s direction, shifting from a focus on stadium activities to football operations, such as first-team travel and logistics. Some thought the switch was curious given Roche’s role at United, since being hired from Manchester Airports Group in 2018, had been on the business side of the club, while David Harrison was already director of football operations.

It presented Roche with an opportunity to broaden her experience which, given the uncertainty around the leadership members appointed under Glazer control, enhanced her CV should she leave the club. Roche was later linked with the vacancy for Newcastle United’s chief executive. 

She finished the season as the only top-tier executive from when Ratcliffe arrived to still be in place, and her focus realigned again to leading the process for the new stadium, having previously overseen the running of Old Trafford. Harrison’s departure was also announced in that period, with United expected to make a new hire in football operations to support Wilcox.

Berrada, Wilcox and Roche at the Everton game in February (Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty Images)

Wilcox’s priority is the technical side of the game, watching Amorim’s training sessions and offering a tactical bridge between the coaches and the board. It is his first time in this role at Premier League level, and he has been building contacts, but his attention to detail on the finer points of football is seen internally as a major strength, and his relationship with Amorim is strong. The pair have daily discussions, which help feed United’s sporting decisions and recruitment strategy. Wilcox’s background at Manchester City’s academy lends his expertise to the youth market. That maps onto United’s approach to take chances on signing emerging talents, given the financial picture at the club.

Transfer and contract talks are handled by Matt Hargreaves, United’s director of negotiations, who has an extensive established network, having joined the club in 2023 from Adidas, where he dealt on a commercial basis with players such as Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham.

Joining Hargreaves in dealing with agents is Christopher Vivell, whose position as director of recruitment was made permanent once Ashworth left. He had been appointed on an interim basis when it was not certain Ashworth would join, earning a very good salary to compensate for the job insecurity, and he took a pay cut to stay long-term. Vivell is playing a key role in shaping United’s strategy.

Finding players suitable to Amorim’s requirements has been the significant focus of conversations leading up to the summer window. The idea is that the profiles sought can translate across systems rather than be solely appropriate for the 3-4-2-1 formation. United’s squad is viewed as lacking the necessary athleticism to compete in the Premier League, and fixing that issue is a main driver in deciding targets, as seen in the Patrick Dorgu transfer.

Dorgu is the profile of player United are now looking for (Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Last summer’s business contained lessons on that score. Ten Hag was against selling Scott McTominay given his record as a scorer in recent years — he got 10 goals for United in 2023-24 and now has 13 goals for Napoli in winning Serie A this season — but executives made the call to bring in Ugarte, who has experienced issues with the speed of the Premier League.

The Ashworth episode has left staff feeling anything is possible in a Ratcliffe regime, but people familiar with their thinking insist United’s hierarchy are fully behind Amorim, with Berrada’s reputation especially aligned, and they are aware of the need to back him in a meaningful way to give his approach a chance of succeeding.

Injuries became a theme of a second campaign in a row. Players have spent a combined 1,363 days out, with Amad, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro and Mason Mount sidelined for lengthy periods.

Once again, the problems started on United’s pre-season tour to the United States. In 2023, Mainoo and Amad suffered significant injuries. A year on, Rasmus Hojlund and Yoro went down, both during the friendly against Arsenal on a pitch at the SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, which had been recently laid on top of an artificial surface. Hojlund damaged his hamstring and only made his first start in October, while Yoro had to wait until December for his debut after suffering a fractured metatarsal that had shown as a weakness on his medical.

Those issues had a bearing on the robust debate in that period about what United should do for summer 2025, with Ten Hag and Brailsford of the view that staying closer to home would be better from a sporting perspective. Serious thought was given to keeping pre-season friendlies in Europe.

Others at the club advocated for attention to the bottom line in the desired ‘virtuous circle’ of improving the football team, and in the end, commercial necessity kicked in. United signed up to the Premier League’s Summer Series, agreeing to dates in Chicago, New Jersey and Atlanta, then even went a step further and committed to the first post-season trip in the club’s history, flying to Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong this week.

United taking off a short while after the final whistle against Aston Villa on Sunday is not what several players had in mind for the end to their Premier League campaign, and there have been murmurings of discontent. Those in charge of budgets could point out how the lower league position delivered by the team’s performances has deprived the accounts of about £20m in prize money compared to last season’s eighth-place finish. Players might conversely highlight the £14.1million cost of sacking Ten Hag and Ashworth, and the fact that the tour was arranged in January, long before United’s final placing was decided.

Yoro appears on crutches after United’s pre-season tour last summer (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

United will fly to Asia in an Airbus A350 so players can spread out and stretch during the 15-hour journey, with massages available once at their base, the W Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. But the trip is seen as imperfect from an injury-prevention point of view.

Three players will split off from the main party to visit India for a purely commercial appearance, and there has been competition for who will be selected. Several players volunteered to do that trip because it means an earlier end to being away from home and, alternatively, is closer to Dubai for a family holiday. Andre Onana, Harry Maguire, and Diogo Dalot were the ones chosen.

By the time United start next season, they will have travelled nearly 24,500 miles combined on their tours to opposite sides of the globe.

The last pre-season started when United faced Rosenborg in Trondheim, Norway, on July 15, the day after England played Spain in the European Championship final. It can be revealed that Ratcliffe invited the players and staff onto his yacht, which was moored off the coast, to watch the showpiece occasion, with the event diarised in the schedule. But the only senior players on the trip were Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Jonny Evans, and Mount, with the rest being academy players, while Ten Hag and Ashworth wished to keep the event to 90 minutes or so rather than make it a party, given the game the next day.

Ratcliffe subsequently withdrew the offer and left Norway on his private jet before the friendly against Rosenborg.

Another of Ratcliffe’s ideas did come to fruition a few months later. During a conversation about strength and conditioning, Lord Sebastian Coe, the chair of United’s Old Trafford regeneration task force, recommended Ratcliffe connect with track and field coach Harry Marra to see if he could assist with sprinting mechanics. Coe met Marra in Santa Barbara to make the proposal, with Ratcliffe calling a few days later to firm up the offer of consultancy work for a five-week period. Marra, 78, was first seen at Carrington in December, his glowing Californian tan sticking out under Manchester’s grey winter skies, while he was also a guest in the directors’ box at Old Trafford for a couple of games.

Marra, who established a renowned reputation for leading Ashton Eaton to double Olympic gold in the decathlon, primarily gave advice to coaches on correct running techniques, but he did request permission to go directly to Mount. “He was doing these zigzag runs between cones and I could see that his arm action was improper,” Marra told The Times. “So I showed him what the correct arm action should be in sprinting, and on the very next run he was amazing. He came round the last cone with this big smile on his face and said, ‘This s*** really works.’”

Marra, the vastly experienced coach, was brought in after Coe’s recommendation to Ratcliffe (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

There was some scepticism of Marra’s suitability as a temporary presence at Carrington at a time when results were bad. Reviews were mixed. Mount, determined to get to the bottom of his injury issues, had already looked at getting expert guidance on his gait after a sequence of muscle problems. Other United players have also investigated their sprint mechanics.

Altogether, Marra’s fees plus accommodation came to about £80,000 and some at the club wondered whether that kind of assistance could have been done at less expense at a time when Ratcliffe was, for instance, cutting the annual £40,000 given to United’s former players’ association.

United’s treatment room continues to undergo change, with Gary O’Driscoll, head of medical services, and first-team doctor Jim Moxon leaving. O’Driscoll, highly respected, is believed to feel his ability to drive change was limited.

Shaw has been a subject of attention for the department. He went from February 2024 to April this year without starting for United. He made three appearances in eight days in Amorim’s first matches in charge but suffered a recurrence of his hamstring issue and then, when close to a return, had a setback in February. 

At that point, he chose to do his recovery in Doha, Qatar, in part due to dissatisfaction with treatment and privacy at United. He spent a few weeks in the Middle East with chosen physios, while United, in full agreement for a change of scene, sent a staff member to assist.

Shaw made his comeback as a substitute at Newcastle and played again four days later, coming on at half-time of the Lyon game. Shaw played both games as a left-sided centre-half rather than a wing-back, in an indication of where his future under Amorim lies, given the physical requirements of the more advanced position. Shaw was left out of the squad against Wolves to rest.

To assist on fitness, Amorim brought with him Paulo Barreira as physical performance coach. Barreira worked under Brendan Rodgers at Liverpool and Arsene Wenger, Unai Emery, and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal, before joining Amorim at Sporting in 2020. He completed his PhD at Liverpool John Moores University in 2017 with a thesis on hamstring injury prevention.

There have been debates between Barreira and established staff over exactly what methods to use.

At times, Amorim has walked players through tactical sessions rather than asking for strenuous effort. But muscle problems have continued, with Joshua Zirkzee, Dalot and Collyer again missing games. All three were back for the Europa League final, though, with Martinez and Matthijs de Ligt the only injuries, both through impact collisions.

Candido, Fernandes, Amorim, Barreira and Ferro at United training this month (Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

There are more changes brewing in the medical department, too. In April, interim performance director Sam Erith told staff in a meeting how his role would be made permanent, but cuts to physios and masseurs would be coming, albeit postponed so as not to affect the players during the run-in. The announcement did nothing to lift the mood. 

Those affected were told their fate on Friday, May 23, less than 48 hours after assisting the team for the Europa League final, and a day after an end-of-season barbecue at Carrington that was supposed to be a chance to unwind.

The constant threat of redundancies has stalked the atmosphere at Carrington, and many people believe this has impacted the first-team environment. Players have relationships with those staff members at risk of losing their jobs and that has undermined the attempts to build positive mindsets in the dressing room, according to people familiar with the situation.

Amorim’s assistants have been with him since the start at Sporting in Carlos Fernandes, 30, Adelio Candido, 28, and Emanuel Ferro, 46. They lead most of the sessions, with Fernandes most prominent. 

It is Fernandes who steps up to the touchline whenever there is a set piece. Those three coaches are taking in their new environment, making sure they are present at Amorim’s press conferences at European away games so they can hear what he has said and what has been asked.

Amorim’s assistants, including goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital, 63, and analyst Eduardo Rosalino, are a tight-knit group. Andreas Georgson, originally brought in to lead on set pieces before Fernandes took over, and Darren Fletcher provide additional support.

Adjusting to Amorim’s system has been a challenge for several players. Some members of United’s squad have expressed doubts that the back three can ever work at Old Trafford because adding a central defender means the team are playing reactive rather than proactive football, going against the attacking ethos of the club.

Amorim’s vision is a front-foot style, however, where the auxiliary centre-backs press aggressively and get involved in scoring moves, with the wing-backs pushed high to create a front five. He does not, at this moment, have the players to fulfil that approach, though Shaw, Dalot and Fernandes all gave him strong public backing after the Europa League final defeat.

Some in his side have needed time to adjust to the new demands. Alejandro Garnacho’s best moments come in transition, often starting wide and cutting in. Amorim prefers a more patient build-up and has typically positioned Garnacho in the inside channel as a No 10.

That divergence is why Garnacho’s potential sale has remained a talking point.

The climax to the season saw the 20-year-old picked for 18 straight games, indicating a growing understanding between him and Amorim. Garnacho began to add more end product to his game — an aspect being looked for by coaches — getting assists in both legs against Real Sociedad, at home to Lyon, and goals at Leicester, Newcastle and Brentford, where he also set up Mount.

But Amorim selected Mount and Amad ahead of Garnacho for the Europa League final, and he got only 20 minutes as a substitute, which irritated him to the point he brought it up in post-match media. On Saturday, Amorim told Garnacho in front of his team-mates to find a new club.

The pressure on Garnacho to step up rose in the absence of Marcus Rashford. Both players were dropped by Amorim for the trip to the Etihad in December, but their cases were different, and while Garnacho won his place back, Rashford was loaned to Aston Villa. 

Amorim made his decision after questioning Rashford over a night out within 48 hours of Everton’s visit to Old Trafford and then witnessing a poor performance in training before the Manchester City game. Rashford trained impressively in the following sessions that week but reverted to looking disconnected with team-mates after being left out of the match against Bournemouth.

Amorim’s firmness with Rashford meant United were without their most experienced Premier League scorer, but people at the club considered it a price worth paying to set a broader standard.

Ten Hag had wrestled with the same dilemma, mentioning “lifestyle” when discussing Rashford as far back as pre-season 2023, but decided that, after exiling Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho, he could not afford another clash and United needed someone to get the goals.

Rashford is among the players moved out under Amorim (Martin Rickett/PA Images via Getty Images)

Ideally, Hojlund would have shared the load, but he endured a difficult campaign. He is seen as a player who needs others around him, both on the pitch and for support in the dressing room. He can cut an isolated figure in Amorim’s system. More than once, players have chosen not to pass to him in attacking situations. Serie A side Inter are looking at him as a possible summer signing.

Zirkzee was beginning to show glimpses of his quality before he suffered the hamstring injury that ruled him out in April for much that remained of the season. He arrived at United carrying extra weight and was required to go on a strict diet, overseen by nutritionists at the club. Then he suffered the ignominy of being jeered by his own fans when substituted on 33 minutes of the Newcastle game at Old Trafford in December, with United 2-0 down.

Zirkzee pulled on a winter coat and jogged straight down the tunnel to the dressing room, but re-emerged to the dugout before half-time. Fernandes played a part in Zirkzee’s return. Watching the situation unfold from his seat in the directors’ box, while serving a suspension, Fernandes dashed down to the dressing room and rallied his team-mate, strongly advising him to face up to the crowd.

For all his occasional histrionics on the pitch, Fernandes delivers touches like that on a regular basis behind the scenes, notably making sure he greets academy players when they first enter senior training. But his own future is uncertain again, with Al Hilal making him a hugely lucrative offer to join the Saudi Pro League.

The deal, according to people familiar with the matter, is for four years on €25million a year net, equivalent to triple his current salary, while Al Hilal are prepared to pay United £80m. Champions League football would have put the matter to bed, but a European exile opens the exit door. Fernandes seemed to take one step towards it by stating after the Europa League final: “If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash-in, football sometimes is like this.”

If United entertain the Al Hilal approach, that might bring other European teams to the table.

Zirkzee heads down the touchline before returning from the dressing room (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Fernandes going would totally alter United’s side. One game where he showed his talent came away at Goodison Park in February, when his brilliant free kick helped drag United to a point having trailed 2-0.

The first half was one of the lowest points of the season, a period when Amorim said his team “did not exist”. 

It can be revealed that United travelled to Goodison Park for the 12.30pm kick-off on the morning of the game, rather than stay in a nearby hotel overnight, with players reporting for duty at Carrington at around 7.30am to get the team coach to Merseyside. The early start time was commented on by players, and the team arrived at Goodison at 11.20am, shortly before being due to warm up. Usually, even for an hour-long trip, United would book local accommodation in those circumstances.

Amid a backdrop of redundancies and cost-cutting, there were rumours at United that finances drove the call, but people briefed on it by United say the decision stemmed from the football department. For the game against Chelsea on a Friday night, United travelled down to London the day before and stayed over.

There have since been grumbles from players over the quality of some hotels selected for away trips, such as Bucharest, with United choosing to stay in Marriotts where possible, rather than luxury spots outside of the group, which sponsors the club.

Amorim himself has appeared a pensive figure amid the turmoil, choosing to give players the silent treatment on occasions. He stands apart from players during open training sessions before Europa League games, even 100 yards behind mesh netting for the trip to Lyon, but he did the same when in charge of Sporting.

Amorim can be a distant figure at times (Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

On the Monday before the return leg at Old Trafford, Amorim hauled the players in early and read them the riot act after losing 4-1 at Newcastle. They have become used to his stinging honesty, following his press conference critique that this version of United is “the worst in history” after the Brighton defeat. Some players thought saying that publicly was a major step too far, and Amorim later expressed regret.

Amorim’s human touch has been on display, though. He generously gives his time to fans outside Old Trafford and Carrington, and paid for 30 staff tickets to the Europa League final when it became clear the club would not cover the cost. He has regularly worked 14-hour days at Carrington during the campaign climax.

He can also inspire players, with several feeling he is an excellent leader. That aspect of his style has been evident in his work with Casemiro. At one stage, it appeared the five-time Champions League winner was surplus to requirements, going six weeks without a start. But Amorim communicated with his player, tailoring his midfield running, and Casemiro came to the fore in United’s Europa League run, setting up the final three goals against Lyon and scoring in both legs against Athletic Club.

A one-on-one meeting where Amorim thanked the 33-year-old for his professionalism solidified their bond.

Casemiro’s transfer was the one scrutinised most by Ratcliffe when he got to grips with United in the due diligence period of buying his stake. Getting recruitment right will be a huge factor in how United’s campaign goes next term.

There has been, and will continue to be, an emphasis on youth, with United taking educated gambles on teenagers on the cusp of the first team. Ayden Heaven’s move from Arsenal in January is an example. Signed for £1.5million, he proved himself ready for senior football before his ankle injury. United signing Le Havre’s 18-year-old striker Enzo Kana Biyik on a free transfer follows this pattern. Significant resources are being committed to signing players in younger age groups too.

At senior level, United are targeting players who appear to be on upward trajectories. Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap also appeal due to release clauses making the parameters of deals clear from the outset, as Zirkzee’s was last summer.

Predicting those arcs is easier said than done, but United are making changes to their data department aimed at providing worthwhile evidence to assist. In December, Ratcliffe told United We Stand fanzine that United were “still in the last century of data analysis” and that it “doesn’t really exist here”. United certainly trailed other clubs historically, and even once appointments in that area were made, there were issues over appropriateness of the research, but Ratcliffe’s comments were regarded by people at United as harsh when set against the group of four competent analysts who remained after Dominic Jordan’s departure as director of data science.

That same month, United internally announced the arrival of Gary Hemingway, an INEOS operations specialist, to work on football data analytics and infrastructure projects. Hemingway was seen as the hard enforcer in the INEOS cost-cutting regime at Grangemouth, the company’s oil refinery in Scotland that closed, and he applied a similar fierce interrogation of spending across a variety of areas at Carrington. His suitability for football data was unclear, however.

Ratcliffe at the Miami Grand Prix this month (Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

In the days before United travelled to Czech side Viktoria Plzen on December 12, Berrada and Wilcox visited the Adidas headquarters in Herzogenaurach, Germany to understand the company’s data analysis, before making the two-hour drive to the game.

Ultimately, United have hired Michael Sansoni from the Mercedes Formula 1 team, where he worked as a senior performance simulation engineer. INEOS is a shareholder and principal partner to Mercedes-AMG Petronas, and Sansoni’s name came up when Ratcliffe spoke with the team’s technical director James Allison at the Australian Grand Prix in March.

Allison is hugely respected in F1, so his recommendation of Sansoni, who was due to join Williams, carried weight. Sansoni was the liaison between Lewis Hamilton and the data team, despite only being 32. Ratcliffe stepped in to persuade Sansoni to switch sports and he was invited to the directors’ box at Old Trafford before he started at Carrington. 

Sansoni will head up the data team, assisted closely by Dan Nichol, who has been appointed as a consultant at United. Nichol has worked extensively in football since completing a master’s degree in mathematics and computer science from the University of Oxford in 2013, and a DPhil in computer science in 2017.

Ratcliffe had less regard for what he termed a “body language consultant” earning £175,000 per year at United. It can be revealed that the person in question was hired by Ten Hag to primarily help players recognise relevant facial expressions during penalty shootouts. Ten Hag wanted to improve a record of one win in six previous series, and worked with players using the consultant to establish confidence in shooting and saving and also reading the opponent taker or goalkeeper. United beat Brighton and Coventry in this period, the second shootout on the way to winning the FA Cup and qualifying for Europe, raising revenue many times the cost of the consultant.

The appointment was considered a luxury by United executives, but worthwhile in backing a manager.

Ratcliffe takes a different view, and wants all outgoings analysed. Some believe he is getting more involved than expected at United because the side has had a woeful Premier League campaign and he wants to fix things as he has done in his chemical empire.

But the attention from fans appears to be affecting him. He was accosted by angry supporters as he left Craven Cottage in his car and arrived at Bournemouth 20 minutes into the game to avoid being seen. He had watched his son George complete the London marathon, then flown with him to the south coast. Ratcliffe has not been seen at Old Trafford since fans in seats behind the dugout began protesting their removal for hospitality tickets, with signs held up to members of the executive in the directors’ box a few yards away.

“If it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I’d have to say, ‘Look, enough’s enough guys, let somebody else do this’,” Ratcliffe told the BBC in March.

When Ratcliffe’s image, and that of Avram Glazer, was shown on the big screen at the staff party to watch the Europa League final, boos rang out from the near-1,000 crowd of United employees plus friends and family. 

Amorim apologised on Sunday for the season just closed, but results need to be better next term, with more empathy in running the club, or Ratcliffe, for all his considerable efforts trying to explain the situation in media interviews, might find that sentiment continues.

(Top illustration: Eamonn Dalton/The Athletic; Michael Regan, Ryan Pierse, Marc Atkins/Getty Images)

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