Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Champions League ambition for Manchester United rests on three key decisions

Christmas is only five weeks away but Manchester United could be about to receive an early present - clarity.

The jury is still out on whether Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself is a gift but he is set to spend £1.3billion on 25 per cent of the club within the fortnight. Time will tell if this is something to celebrate.

It seems movements are already being made with Richard Arnold set to leave his role just over 18 months after being appointed CEO. He could be the first of a number of staff to be shown the door with Ratcliffe - due to take over sporting control - set to review the boardroom, probably via an audit from Sir Dave Brailsford.

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The INEOS sporting director was asked to conduct a similar process at one of the company’s other clubs, OGC Nice, in 2022. This will be an important first step towards achieving Ratcliffe’s European ambition.

The 71-year-old pivoted from a majority bid to a minority proposal with the Glazers dragging their feet over a full sale. However, given he will be overseeing football operations, his targets may remain the same.

When announcing his initial bid back in February, Ratcliffe outlined his principal objectives. Within the INEOS statement, he said: "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."

United’s European hopes this year are hanging by a thread given their woeful group stage campaign. Just one win in four matches sees them heading over to Turkey to face Galatasaray in a must-win scenario. By