Tuesday night marked the first Manchester United match since it finally became official that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos purchased a 25% stake in the club and assumed control of all football matters. It means that Ratcliffe’s sporting director of sorts, Sir Dave Brailsford, is now at the wheel.
Brailsford, Director of Sport at Ineos, will lead a team that will try and reshape United’s roster from a mess to marvelous, and tonight he was watching from the stands at Old Trafford for the first time ever.
Manchester United at Nottingham Forest FYIs
Kickoff: Sat. Dec. 30, 5:30 pm City Ground
United Preview Content: Team News Starting XI Prediction
Five Great Christmas Moments in MUFC History: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
He saw a true “tale of two halves,” as United quickly fell down 2-0 to visiting Aston Villa, but rallied to a 3-2 win. Brailsford saw a performance that -perfectly personified a phenomena that we have seen a lot of with this team, this season- playing their best when their backs are against the wall.
Now if only this Red Devils side could play with that sense of urgency from the get go, instead of first falling behind. They need to act like it’s Fergie Time, all the time.
Boxing Day night was special at Old Trafford, but what will this maddeningly inconsistent team do for an encore when they travel to Nottingham Forest on New Year’s weekend?
Brailsford, Ratcliffe, Ten Hag & Friends
The very first question put to United manager Erik ten Hag, in his post match presser was what he thought Brailsford would have thought of the match result tonight.
“I don’t know,” the Dutchman responded.
“You will have to ask them. 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, F1, a cycling team, football clubs.
“They can only help us and support us to get our targets. We are looking forward. They want to work with us and we want to work with them.”
So there you have it- the Ratcliffe buy-in/new era of Brailsford supports Ten Hag, who many believed was starting to see his seat warm.
Man United Team News
In terms of the team news from a more on-the-pitch, and less off-the-pitch standpoint, Luke Shaw and Sofyan Amrabat were both absent from the Aston Villa matchday squad due to minor injuries.
It’s hard to say to say whether or not they’ll be recovered from their knocks in time to face Forest on New Year’s Eve Eve. Not much is really known about their fitness problems at this time.
There was good news however, in regards to Raphael Varane, as he entered the Villa match a strong doubt, but was fit enough to make the starting XI.
Finally, United’s long list of longer-term injury absentees is expected to remain unchanged for the trip to Nottingham Forest.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.