INEOS’ arrival at Manchester United at the end of 2023 marked a new dawn at Old Trafford with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his team of experts expected to lead the club back to the halcyon days enjoyed under Sir Alex Ferguson.
However, if that is to happen it will come after a turbulent first 14 months which has seen a raft of changes and mixed messages, leaving fans wondering whether they are up to the task.
One major decision has been made in the dugout with Ruben Amorim replacing Erik ten Hag, but not before the Dutchman was granted a huge summer war chest that only resulted in him losing his job three months into the season.
Amorim was eventually chosen as the long-term answer to spearhead the INEOS era but the Portuguese head coach was not the universal choice across the members of United’s board.
As reported by MSN News, Brentford boss Thomas Frank was the recently departed sporting director Dan Ashworth’s preferred option, given the Dane’s outstanding body of work in West London.
However, Chief Executive Omar Berrada pushed for Amorim and ultimately got his way with the United paying £11 million to secure the services one of the most exciting young coaches in Europe.
Ashworth has since left his post at Old Trafford and Amorim has struggled to find his feet in his first few months in Manchester.
Meanwhile, Frank has continued his strong work at Brentford who comfortably sit above United in the Premier League table.
There is no telling how much of an impact the disagreement had on Ashworth leaving United but given the saga INOES went through to sign him from Newcastle, it was s surprise to see a parting of the ways so quickly.
Ashworth’s five month spell at the club is a stark example of INOES early struggles settling into life under the spotlight of the Theatre of Dreams and Amorim’s start hasn’t done much to calm fans nerves.
The former Sporting coach has suffered a dire start to his tenure but is undergoing a major cultural shift at the club which he will hope kickstarts a rebirth of United finding themselves back at the top of the English football.
Featured images Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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Conner Botterill
Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for two years. A keen match-going red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology, Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.
