Man Utd must consult Jim Ratcliffe before sacking Ten Hag – despite takeover being four to six weeks away from approval

MANACHESTER UNITED will have to consult Sir Jim Ratcliffe for any changes within the club while his minority investment is being ratified.

And that includes if the club wanted to sack Erik ten Hag, according to the Daily Mail.

AFPRatcliffe will be consulted on all footballing decisions made during this interim period[/caption]

The clause, requiring Ratcliffe’s permission for anything related to football matters was found as part of a 241 page document published on the New York Stock Exchange.

Ratcliffe faces a four to six week wait to have his stake in the club confirmed as the Premier League undertakes a fit and proper persons test on the British businessman.

He also faces a wait for the NYSE to oversee the sale of 25 per cent of the club’s Class A shares that Ratcliffe will acquire from investors in addition to the 25 per cent of Class B shares he is buying from the Glazer family.

During this period, Ratcliffe and INEOS will have to give their blessing for any new signing or football decision.

The document says that INEOS must be told if United consider ‘appointing, dismissing or accepting the resignation of any Director of Football or First Team Manager of the Company and/or any of its Subsidiaries’.

The first major change at the club is expected to be the changing of sporting director, with John Murtough set to be replaced.

While Ratcliffe is thought to be a fan of Erik ten Hag, many have speculated that the Dutchman will be in a vulnerable position following his takeover.

United’s form has been mixed, and a new manager would signal a new era.

Despite this, the INEOS era at Manchester United got off to a good start as the Red Devils came back from 2-0 down at half-time last night to win 3-2.

Ten Hag welcomed the new investment after the game, saying: “I don’t think it has had an impact on the players. For me, I was kept informed in the whole process, so I knew what was going on.

“We’re looking forward. I think it is positive for the club that they are stepping in.

“They have a lot of experience in sport at the highest level: Formula One, a cycling team, football clubs. They can only help us and support us to get our targets. They want to work with us and we want to work with them.”