Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to travel to London to watch Manchester United's Premier League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. The visit comes as head coach Michael Carrick faces uncertainty over his long-term future following a poor start to the season.
United's Struggles This Season
United currently sit 16th in the Premier League, having won just one of their opening eight games. Their Champions League campaign has also faltered, with only one win in three matches, leaving them 20th in that table.
The team was also eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the third round after a 3-2 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion. While the club's leadership has reaffirmed its faith in Carrick for now, the board has previously shown a willingness to dismiss underperforming head coaches.
Pressure Mounts on Carrick and Hierarchy
Erik ten Hag was sacked in November 2024 following a similarly poor start, and his successor, Ruben Amorim, was dismissed in January. Carrick will feel pressure to deliver a result against Xabi Alonso's Chelsea this weekend.
Ratcliffe, the Ineos chief, is expected to arrive in England on Wednesday, having recently spent time in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, according to the Sun. He has not seen United win at Stamford Bridge since buying into the club in 2024.
Potential Overhaul at Old Trafford
Sources told BBC Sport that Ratcliffe could consider a full overhaul of the club's hierarchy, including CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox. Club legend Nicky Butt has also criticised the current setup, saying there are "too many learner drivers" in the decision-making structure.
Speaking on the Good, the Bad and the Football podcast, Butt said: "Listen, I'm going to point the finger at Jason, and it's not all about. If you put, let's say, a Darren Fletcher in that job, he'd get a bit of, 'Okay, he's not done it before but he knows what the football club's about.'"
He added: "If Jason comes in and he is the best of the best, which I believe Dan Ashworth was but didn't have the experience of Man United, that's why he got the job. Because he's the best. Now, if you're not the best, which you'd have to have some sort of feeling for that football club, in my opinion, Jason's not the best of the best, and he's not got the experience of the football club."
Butt concluded: "So straight away, we're putting in to that football club at the decision-making level, as in a CEO, a sporting director, even you could say a manager - let's be honest about Michael - is they've all got L plates on their heads. You're working at one of the biggest football clubs in the world. You can't do that, you just can't. There's too many learner drivers within that set-up."
