Manchester United can replicate two-word INEOS strategy after Sir Jim Ratcliffe deal

Sir Dave Brailsford, a pioneer of sporting perfection, will have his work cut out when he conducts a full-scale audit at Manchester United.

Long-term associate of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the man closing in on a 25 per cent stake at Old Trafford, Brailsford is credited as the mastermind behind Team Sky, the cycling behemoth that ripped up the rulebook in the early 2010s. British Cycling attracted multi-million-pound investment and the 59-year-old was tasked with turning that into success.

A five-year target to clinch the Tour de France was obliterated in two when Bradley Wiggins became the first British winner in 2012. Chris Froome, another Team Sky protege, finished second, before going on to win himself in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017.

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The philosophy of 'marginal gains' was embedded into everyone involved. Plausible, realistic targets with the intention of running before one can walk - an ethos to consider when concerning United.

Brailsford outlined his theory when speaking to Harvard University eight years ago. He said: “To give you a bit of background (on marginal gains), when we first started out, the top of the Olympic podium seemed like a very long way away. Aiming for gold was too daunting. I had become fascinated with process-improvement techniques.

“It struck me that we should think small, not big, and adopt a philosophy of continuous improvement through the aggregation of marginal gains. Forget about perfection, focus on progression - and compound the improvements.”

Pique your intrigue? Brailsford outlining exactly what changes were made makes it easier to understand how this