The mentality that INEOSÂ will attempt to instil at Old Trafford will be one they hope reinstates Manchester United as the “elite of the elite” in world football.
Sir Dave Brailsford – the director of the INEOS sporting team and the man tasked with being Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s eyes and ears at Old Trafford – underlined the expectation of a return to “world-class” standards in a club meeting with United’s staff. He described how every staff member should be “committed to their personal improvement” while assuring them meaningful change was coming.
The former director of British cycling is well-known for his ‘marginal gains’ approach, but a source close to Brailsford, who is also knowledgeable of the current situation at United, reveals this particular tenet will be a “long way down the list” at Old Trafford. “There is a lot of work to be done before that,” the source reveals.
It appears not so much a case of marginal gains in the early days of the INEOS revolution, but rather a process of careful observation followed by significant change, which will begin from the top down.
The Athletic reveal Brailsford has “already identified the potential need for both a sporting director and recruitment specialist”, with informal discussions already being held with prospective candidates.
Dan Ashworth and Paul Mitchell are the two most reported figures for both roles (the former as sporting director and the latter as head of recruitment) but sources within Old Trafford insist no formal approaches have been made. Andrea Berta – the man who has helped Atletico Madrid become part of the ‘big three’ in La Liga – is also a candidate for the director role, while Julian Ward (formerly of Liverpool) and Dougie Freedman (Crystal Palace) are considered for the recruitment position.
Before a decision is made on either role, however, Brailsford believes it is essential for the club to establish its identity. The sporting director, head of recruitment and the manager can then work in “total unison” towards a common goal. This lack of coherency has too often reared its ugly head in the post-Ferguson malaise with Old Trafford a hotbed for impulsive reactivity, rather than anything resembling a proactive plan.
Those who have worked closely with Brailsford, speaking to The Athletic on the condition of anonymity, believe this is the area where he will excel. “[He] can add real value…in getting departments to link up to a much greater degree,” they revealed.
Brailsford explained this non-negotiable component of success in a speech on leadership three months ago: “Disciplined collaboration on a certain topic, otherwise you are wasting resource, time and effort.” Those final five words would aptly encapsulate the last ten years at Old Trafford.
The INEOS director is quick to admit he is a footballing novice. His technical expertise lies in cycling but he believes the lessons learned in how to construct a successful sporting team are malleable. “I will never be a domain expert in football,” Brailsford reveals. But overseeing a successful operation is often as much about putting the right people in the right places as it is your own personal contributions.
Jean-Claude Blanc is expected to take on the chief executive role at Old Trafford. The Frenchman has a wealth of experience, having previously been in the same position at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain, with great success in both.
Whether it is Ashworth or Berta appointed as the sporting director, or Mitchell, Ward or Freedman as the recruitment specialist, is almost trivial. The fact either position will be filled by a candidate who have thrived in that exact role elsewhere offers profound improvement upon the people they will be replacing at Old Trafford. They, like Blanc, are the “domain experts in football.”
Brailsford, in his role as the director of INEOS Sport (which encompasses Formula 1, cycling, sailing, rugby, running and, finally, football), is a “domain expert” in overseeing and bringing together different departments. His long-term role at Old Trafford is to synergise a group of football experts, rather than become one himself.
In the short-term, however, Brailsford will be a keen observer.
The INEOS mentality in the first few months of their stewardship (while they await ratification from the Premier League) is reported to be “look, listen, learn.” United’s new sporting leaders cannot execute any decisions while this process is underway but, as Brailsford contended in the staff meeting at Old Trafford, the “INEOS era would begin properly” once it was complete.
This approval process is expected to take around six weeks, giving a confirmation date some time in February.
During this period, Brailsford will conduct a comprehensive audit of the processes and structures in place at United. He will then report back to Ratcliffe the areas INEOS need to focus on upon their official instalment.
A source who knows Brailsford’s working practices believes his analysis will be thorough: “He will assess things. He will work out who is any good in there, and there will be an understanding of why departments are doing what they’re doing, if what they’re doing is of use, and if it’s cohesive.”
If something is deemed to not have a use, it will be discarded. If it does have a use, it will be encouraged and promoted.
One aspect of the INEOS identity for United which is sacrosanct will be the expectation of success. “We aim to win. We don’t try to compete, we set ourselves the challenge of winning,” Brailsford asserted in a recent speech.
He is adamant United must return to their position as the pinnacle of English football and one of the leading clubs in Europe. A confidant of the director reveals, “He thinks there should be no next step after Man United, it should be the elite of the elite.” A revolution in expectations as much as day-to-day processes.
Brailsford’s words will be music to the ears of United fans who have seen a decade of mismanagement transform their club from a heavyweight with a knockout punch into a featherweight who’s more of a punchline in the pub.
Vive la révolution.
