What Sir Jim Ratcliffe made of Manchester United plans during takeover talks

Manchester United officials are hoping they have done enough to convince Sir Jim Ratcliffe that they have a future at Old Trafford once the billionaire's bid for a stake in the club goes through.

Ratcliffe's offer for around 25 per cent of United is set to come with a significant say in the running of the sporting operations of the club and that could mean a nervous wait for some staff to hear whether they have a future in the new regime.

United appointed John Murtough as their first football director in March 2021, with Andy O'Boyle since named deputy football director, while Darren Fletcher is technical director. Since the appointment of Richard Arnold as chief executive, Murtough has taken on a more prominent role and he has been key in the £400million spent on transfers since the arrival of Erik ten Hag.

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Ratcliffe visited Old Trafford and Carrington with INEOS' sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford back in March as part of the takeover process, while representatives of the Qatari bid led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani also made the visit.

United officials presented to both parties on the state of the club across a range of departments and sources close to the presentations said both parties were impressed by what they heard.

The club laid out the state of play financially and officials faced questioning that was described as "intense" from both groups. The presentations also included laying out the plans for the football side of the club and how that department was working.

A source close to the discussions said that the bidders were impressed with the 'depth