Sir Dave Brailsford can give Manchester United something they really need

There are many questions that need answering at Manchester United - both on and off the pitch.

Two things, however, seem almost certain. One is that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will complete a 25 per cent acquisition of the Reds and the second is that Sir Dave Brailsford will be on board in some capacity.

MEN Sport understands Brailsford has been visiting Carrington in the last few weeks to get the lay of the land before Ratcliffe's arrival. While it is believed INEOS were impressed with the 'detail and depth' of the club's presentations during their trip to Old Trafford in March, there are clearly areas they will want to improve.

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Looking solely at matters on the field, there seems to be one area Brailsford can help improve almost straightaway thanks to his experience at the top of British Cycling - creating a world-class mentality. Erik ten Hag has spoken at length since his arrival about the mentality issues plaguing his squad and Brailsford has already been praised for helping teams build character.

Back in the summer of 2022, Brailsford was invited to speak to the Newcastle squad ahead of the new season and their sporting director Dan Ashworth referenced how the former Team Sky chief could help resolve such a problem. "I've known Sir Dave for a number of years, working across various different sports and he is without doubt the best in world sport at creating high-performance culture and turning that into winning," he explained.

"There were some brilliant messages for us all and it was great to get him in at this point of pre-season."

While his experience in football is somewhat limited, the challenges of working with elite athletes