What Sir Jim Ratcliffe did at Manchester United as INEOS chief makes Old Trafford visit

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has visited Old Trafford for the first time since his deal to purchase a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United was announced on Christmas Eve.

The British billionaire was joined by INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford and executive Jean-Claude Blanc, who will join United's football board once the investment is approved by the Premier League. The INEOS team are understood to have held meetings with United chiefs, according to the Press Association news agency.

More meetings are set to happen at Old Trafford and the club's Carrington training ground during the approval process, which could take a few weeks. As part of Ratcliffe's £1.2billion deal to buy a stake from the Glazer family, his INEOS group will be in charge of United's football operations.

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These meetings will help his team understand the club better and plan for the future. Brailsford, the former boss of British Cycling, watched United's home win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day and Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest.

United's next game is an FA Cup tie against League One Wigan on Monday evening.

Upon confirmation of the takeover on Christmas Eve, Ratcliffe said in a statement: "We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the Club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford.

"We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion. We are committed to working with