According to reports, Manchester United chief Sir Dave Brailsford has ‘unveiled’ his ‘ambitious plan’ to win the Premier League to the staff at Old Trafford.
At the start of 2024, INEOS supremo Sir Jim Ratcliffe completed his minority takeover of the Premier League giants. As part of this deal, he took control of footballing matters at Old Trafford.
The British billionaire has made huge changes since joining Man Utd and has become a hugely unpopular figure for sanctioning a huge cost-cutting programme.
Ratcliffe has also been focused on overhauling Man Utd’s recruitment model as chief executive Omar Berrada, technical director Jason Wilcox and now-former sporting director Dan Ashworth joined the club.
Ashworth only spent around six months at Man Utd after departing Newcastle United to take a major role at Old Trafford and a report from The Times claims Brailsford’s ‘influence has grown’ since his exit.
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Brailsford previously had a leading role in British Cycling and Team Sky and has been INEOS’ Director of Sport since the end of 2021.
The report claims ‘Brailsford has taken a more central role in revitalising the club’s performance culture after Ashworth’s departure’.
The report also noted that he has ‘unveiled a plan’ for Man Utd to win the Premier League title.
‘Sir Dave Brailsford has unveiled a plan to staff at Manchester United called “Mission 21”, aimed ambitiously at delivering a 21st English league title for the club.
‘Brailsford has been a constant presence since Ratcliffe and Ineos bought a 28 per cent stake in United 12 months ago and his growing influence comes at a time when Ruben Amorim’s team continue to struggle.
‘Amorim remains very much in charge of first-team matters, but Brailsford is now a central figure in driving what United hope is a transformation of the performance culture after years of decline.’
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‘Brailsford has drafted this blueprint for United’s future with the assistance of James Morton, a professor of exercise metabolism at Liverpool John Moores University and the head of nutrition and physical performance lead at Team Sky when they were dominating the Tour de France. Morton, who grew up in Belfast, oversaw the nutrition strategy for the riders when they claimed their Tour victories in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.
‘Prior to that, Morton actually worked at United’s big rivals, Liverpool. He was the club’s performance nutritionist from 2010 to 2015. He also advises the Premier League in a performance mentoring role.’
The report also reveals Man Utd’s ‘Mission 1′ relates to the women’s team’, which is part of the wider ‘Project 150 initiative’.
‘Brailsford and Morton presented their Mission 21 blueprint to senior performance staff at the club’s Carrington training ground late last year, prior to Ashworth’s departure.
‘They also unveiled “Mission 1”, the plan for the women’s team, who are seeking their first Women’s Super League title. Ratcliffe has been accused of failing to provide sufficient support for the women’s side at United, but this at least shows a level of commitment to Marc Skinner’s players.
‘Both Mission 21 and Mission 1 sit under United’s broader “Project 150” initiative, which was presented by the chief executive, Omar Berrada, last autumn and is linked to the club’s 150th anniversary in 2028.
‘While Roche is overseeing the modernisation of the club’s training facilities, not to mention the Old Trafford stadium redevelopment strategy, Brailsford’s focus is very much on performance.’
