Sir Jim Ratcliffe has hired right-hand man Dave Brailsford to assist with his bid to buy Manchester United.
Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder of chemical giant Ineos, has submitted an offer for a full takeover of the Red Devils. He is going up against Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani to buy the Premier League giants, with both having reached the second stage of the process.
While there is still uncertainty around whether the Glazer family will indeed sell the club, Ratcliffe is pushing forward with his plans for United. A resolution is not expected until the summer as talks begin with the interested parties.
According to The Times, Ratcliffe 'remains confident' of completing a full takeover of the club. He is now pushing forward with plans to identify a new technical and executive team to run the Red Devils.
The man tasked with bringing together that team is Brailsford, who currently works as Ineos' Director of Sport and previously masterminded Great Britain's cycling success at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Brailsford - who is famed for his 'marginal gains' philosophy - has now opened conversations with 'best-of-class practitioners' in recruitment, analysis, sports science and training ground infrastructure.
Those are all areas in which the Glazers have faced fierce criticism throughout their 18-year reign as owners. Brailsford has already had dealings with United, with the Englishman also involved in Ineos-owned Nice.
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Back in August, RMC Sport reported that Nice had approached United over a potential move for youngster Amad. Brailsford even took advantage of a trip to Manchester to hold talks with the winger.
Despite that intervention, Amad would end up moving to Championship side Sunderland, while Nice signed Arsenal outcast Nicolas Pepe. No bids have yet reached the £5billion price tag the Glazers have slapped on United, though Ratcliffe has already laid out his plans if his takeover succeeds.
"We would see our role as the long-term custodians of Manchester United on behalf of the fans and the wider community," a statement from Ratcliffe and Ineos read.
"We are ambitious and highly competitive and would want to invest in Manchester United to make them the number one club in the world once again. We also recognise that football governance in this country is at a crossroads.
"We would want to help lead this next chapter, deepening the culture of English football by making the club a beacon for a modern, progressive, fan-centred approach to ownership.
"We want a Manchester United anchored in its proud history and roots in the North-West of England, putting the Manchester back into Manchester United and clearly focusing on winning the Champions League."
