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      Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Man Utd stake ALREADY set to grow from 25 per cent as terms of deal with Glazers are revealed

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      SIR JIM RATCLIFFE’S stake in Manchester United is already allegedly set to grow.The 71-year-old British billionaire completed his £1.3bn 25 per cent takeover of the club on Christmas Eve and it is now being signed off.
      Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stake in Man Utd is set to growCredit: Reuters
      He is prepared to pump £237m into the club and is set to have two of his most trusted lieutenants keeping a close eye on goings on at the club next month.
      Ineos’ director of sport Dave Brailsford and CEO Jean-Claude Blanc will head to Carrington tasked with assessing the football operation.
      Brailsford has already made his presence felt as he endured a rollercoaster of emotions at Old Trafford during United’s thrilling 3-2 comeback win over Aston Villa last night.
      Ratcliffe will be in charge of football operations after purchasing a stake in the club from the Glazer family – who fans are desperate to see the back of.
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      However, his stake is set to grow from the original 25 per cent after terms of deal with Glazers were revealed.
      That is according to journalist Ben Jacobs, who stated on social media: “Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s final %, if the completion process goes to plan, will be just over 29%.
      “That’s 25% from the Class B shares (agreed) and Class A tender (ongoing).
      “Then just over 4% from his injection of $300m into the club.”
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      Jacobs also added: “Been the plan for months to take extra shares in return for Ratcliffe’s initial investment.”
      We reported this week how Ratcliffe could cut as many as 300 jobs at United.
      But while that could cause unrest off the pitch, Erik ten Hag’s side brought some much-needed joy on it yesterday.
      The Red Devils came from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Aston Villa 3-2 with a brilliant second half performance.
      Ten Hag’s men fell behind to a never-seen-before free-kick tactic that left both the goalkeeper and defence bamboozled.
      Things got worse when Leander Dendoncker doubled the visitors’ lead.
      But a stirring second half performance saw them bounce back to earn a crucial victory.
      Alejandro Garnacho grabbed a double while Rasmus Hojlund’s first Premier League goal sealed the points late on. More

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

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      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.
      Ratcliffe will be consulted on all footballing decisions made during this interim periodCredit: AFP
      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.
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      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 involve the sporting director, with John Murtough set to be replaced.
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      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.
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      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.” More

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      Man Utd ace Raphael Varane ‘offered shock Ligue 1 transfer as Real Madrid pull out of race for former star’

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      RAPHAEL VARANE has been offered a shock escape route from Manchester United by his former club.We reported previously how the star had been made available for a transfer away amid interest from Saudi Arabia after the World Cup winner slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford this term.
      Raphael Varane has been offered a shock escape route from Man UtdCredit: Alamy
      Erik ten Hag has preferred the likes of Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and even veteran Jonny Evans, which has limited Varane to just 521 minutes of Premier League action.
      Real Madrid were believed to be lining up a swoop to bring him back to the Bernabeu.
      The French defender, 30, spent ten years there from 2011 to 2021 and won 18 trophies – including four Champions Leagues – before joining United for £34m on a four-year deal.
      Bayern Munich have also been linked with a move for Varane.
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      However, El Chiringuito TV have now claimed that Real Madrid have zero interest in signing their ex-defender.
      But another one of his former club’s have allegedly emerged as contenders to try and snap him up.
      French publication L’Equipe have stated that Ligue 1 team Lens are also in the running for Varane.
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      He began his career with them, where his displays first caught the eye of Madrid.
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      After finding himself on the bench over recent weeks, Varane has started two of United’s last three games.
      And he played the full game yesterday as the Red Devils came from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Aston Villa 3-2 with a brilliant second half performance.
      His side fell behind to a never-seen-before free-kick tactic that left the goalkeeper and whole defence bamboozled.
      It got even worse as Leander Dendoncker doubled the visitors’ lead.
      However, a stirring second half performance saw them bounce back to earn a crucial victory.
      Alejandro Garnacho grabbed a double while Rasmus Hojlund’s first Premier League goal sealed the points late on. More

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      Tottenham handed huge injury blow as Cristian Romero ruled out for five weeks and Van de Ven return date confirmed

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      TOTTENHAM have been handed another huge injury blow after Cristian Romero was ruled out for up to five weeks.The Spurs defender suffered a hamstring injury during the 2-1 win over Everton and was forced off at half-time.
      Cristian Romero picked up an injury against EvertonCredit: EPA
      Micky van de Ven injured his hamstring on November 6Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
      Romero was then sent for a scan which confirmed the hamstring strain and the latest huge loss at the back for Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou.
      The Aussie has already been without summer signing Micky van de Ven, who was sidelined with his own hamstring injury during the 4-1 defeat to Chelsea in November.
      Van de Ven said recently he could be back within two weeks, though Postecoglou confirmed the game against Manchester United on January 14 was the earliest the Dutchman could return.
      Postecoglou said: “It’s not so great with Romero.
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      “He had a scan the other day. He’s got a hamstring strain.
      “So we’re looking at probably four weeks, five weeks for him.”
      Spurs have long been keen to add another central defender during the January window.
      Romero and Van de Ven had formed a superb partnership but injury and suspension have exposed the lack of depth in defence within the squad.
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      Spurs lost Romero to a three-match ban for his sending off in the Chelsea loss and Spurs were defeated in all three games.
      The Argentine’s injury further shows the need for investment at the back, with Spurs targeting Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo, though Postecoglou says it has not altered their plans.
      He added: “No, it doesn’t change anything.
      “Disappointing to lose him, for sure. We obviously missed him with the suspension and now, we’d just got him back and kind of steadied things up and obviously we have him missing again for quite a chunk of time.
      “But it doesn’t change really… you can’t accelerate time. It’s still December. January 1 stays January 1 irrespective of our situation.
      “The plans and the planning is still in the same shape.”
      Spurs have been hard hit by injury this season. As well as losing Van de Ven and Romero, Postecoglou has been without James Maddison since that costly Chelsea defeat in October.
      Ivan Perisic has been ruled out for the season with a knee injury, Rodrigo Bentancur suffered an ankle injury after making his return from an ACL injury and Manor Solomon has been sidelined with a knee injury.
      There is at least good news for Van de Ven’s return, with the summer signing set to return to training in the next couple of weeks.
      The former Wolfsburg defender gave an update on his return when attending the World Darts Championship recently.
      Postecoglou said: “I wouldn’t be taking players’ views on their recovery process.
      “He’s getting closer, we’ll see him some time in January.
      “I don’t think Burnley but Manchester United on 14th I think potentially.
      “I don’t look at comeback dates until I see them training with us and he’s not part of the group. He’s not due to be part of the group this week, we’ll see how he’s going by the end of the week.
      “Once they start training with the group we’ll think about when they’ll be available.

      “He’s at the tail end of it for sure so at some point – middle of January definitely we’d think he’d be available but how we use him then, after such a long absence, is going to depend on where we feel he’s at.”
      The squad will be trimmed even further next month when captain Heung-min Son as well as Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr head off with their countries for the Asian Cup and Africa Cup of Nations. More

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      Jamie Carragher’s cheeky half-time pop at Man Utd backfires spectacularly after stunning comeback vs Aston Villa

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      JAMIE CARRAGHER was left red-faced after having a cheeky pop at Manchester United last night.Carragher made the comment on X with United 2-0 down at half-time to Aston Villa.
      Carragher was made to eat his wordsCredit: Rex
      Hojlund got the winner against VillaCredit: Getty
      He posted: “Liverpool drawing at home to Man Utd is their worst result of the season.”
      It referenced the goalless draw earlier this month where Liverpool failed to score despite taking 34 shots at Andre Onana’s goal.
      United looked to be dead and buried at half time against Villa but were able to mount a stunning comeback.
      A brace from Alejandro Garnacho brought them level before Rasmus Hojlund found the winner with his first ever Premier League goal.
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      The turnaround victory brings United to sixth in the table, five points off the top four and 11 behind leaders Liverpool.
      Carragher’s fellow Sky Sports pundit and United fan, Gary Neville, tweeted: “Brilliant second half Man United.”
      After the game, fans tweeted Carragher to ask if he still stood by his tweet.
      One fan wrote: “Where are you now Carra?”
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      Another posted: “Spoke too soon mister!”
      A third came back after the turnaround was complete and said: “You need to delete this tweet rn”.
      The second half performance was much like the United of last season and Ten Hag will be hoping to continue that form against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
      He has been coming under increased scrutiny following a string of inconsistent results and the incoming investment of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
      The club finally confirmed that the minority investment would go ahead on Christmas Eve. More

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      Patrice Evra jokes ‘now I’m going to cry in the toilet’ as Liverpool stat ruins Man Utd’s shock Villa win for club icon

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      PATRICE EVRA joked he was going to end his Christmas by “crying in the toilet” after Manchester United’s win was ruined for him.The former full-back watched on last night as hs beloved Red Devils came from 2-0 down at half-time to beat Aston Villa 3-2 with a brilliant second half performance.
      Patrice Evra’s night at Old Trafford was hilariously ruined by Gabby Logan’s Liverpool statCredit: Amazon Prime
      Jurgen Klopp’s Reds are currently top of the Premier League after the win at BurnleyCredit: Alamy
      The 42-year-old was working as a pundit for Amazon Prime Video as he witnessed his old team go behind after Villa’s never-seen-before free-kick tactic left the hosts bamboozled.
      It then got even worse as Leander Dendoncker doubled the visitors’ lead.
      United legend Evra was widely-mocked at the break when he claimed that he was “happy” with the United performance while slamming the wastefulness of the attackers.
      However, he was smiling again as Alejandro Garnacho grabbed a double while Rasmus Hojlund’s first Premier League goal sealed the points late on.
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      Evra firstly had Gabby Logan and his fellow panellists, Eni Aluko and Roberto Martinez in stitches after a cheeky comment post-match.
      But his smile was turned upside down as they closed the show by looking at the Premier League table.
      Liverpool are in top spot after they ran out 2-0 winners at Burnley earlier in the day – and that led to some trolling by Logan on Evra.
      But the fun-loving Frenchman attempted to keep his composure after being accused of bias towards United by responding: “Credit to Liverpool and I think they are a serious contender to win the title.
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      “We talk a lot about Manchester City and Arsenal, and of course City have two games in hand, but Liverpool are back in business.
      “They are top of the league, they have that consistency, they have a great manager – you see I’m being neutral.”
      But then he hilariously added: “Now I’m going to cry in the toilet.”
      Fan favourite Evra arrived at United from Monaco back in 2006 and he won a host of honours under Sir Alex Ferguson.
      He enjoyed five Premier League title triumphs during his eight years at Old Trafford as well as Champions League joy in 2008.
      Evra then had spells at Juventus, Marseille and West Ham before hanging up his boots in 2018 and going into the punditry world. More

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      Erik ten Hag reveals half-time message to players that inspired Aston Villa comeback and says ‘fans deserved it’

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      ERIK TEN HAG inspired Manchester United’s incredible second-half comeback against Aston Villa with his rousing half-time message.The Dutchman spoke to his Red Devils players in the dressing room at the break knowing an epic second-half was needed.
      Rasmus Hojlund grabbed a crucial late winner for Manchester UnitedCredit: Getty
      Erik ten Hag spoke with his players at 2-0 down to Aston VillaCredit: Reuters
      Villa led 2-0 at Old Trafford thanks to goals from John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker, prompting boos from the home crowd.
      But the stats proved United came out flying after the break as they fought for their boss.
      Alejandro Garnacho had a goal ruled out for offside before his double got the hosts level against Unai Emery’s high-flyers.
      Then Rasmus Hojlund produced a smart late volley to grab his first Premier League goal and seal a memorable and much-needed 3-2 win.
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      And Ten Hag revealed what he said to his struggling side at the interval to motivate them in front of club legends Robin van Persie and Edwin van der Sar – as well as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford.
      Asked on Match of the Day about his confidence-boosting message at 2-0 down, the United boss said: “Keep believing.
      “I think our fans they deserved it. They are always behind us and we’ve had so many setbacks. So I’m really pleased from the performance of this team.
      “What kind of team can handle and deal with the amount of setbacks we have had?
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      “They are resilient, they have showed character and their personality to turn it around. I am very pleased with the performance of this team.
      “Keep going, even when you get setbacks. Again we had so many setbacks today as well. Two set plays and we lose focus, also you can say very well done from Villa.
      “But we created moments in the first half and you get disappointed you don’t score.
      “Straight after half-time, we have a goal which is offside. But I am very pleased with the strength of my team and the character the team showed.” More

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      Ally McCoist says Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s team ‘working wonders’ already as Sir Dave Brailsford seen at Man Utd’s Villa win

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      ALLY MCCOIST joked that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already having the desired impact at Manchester United after their comeback win against Aston Villa.The Red Devils were trailing 2-0 at half-time but showed incredible fighting spirit as they secured a memorable 3-2 victory.
      Ally McCoist laughed that the Ineos team are already improving Man UtdCredit: Getty
      Sir Dave Brailsford watched from the stands as United beat VillaCredit: PA
      Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent purchase is in the process of being ratified by chiefsCredit: Reuters
      Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent takeover of the club was announced two days earlier on Christmas Eve and his right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford was at Old Trafford last night.
      It was all smiles when the cycling mastermind took to his seat before kick-off.
      But he soon realised the huge task facing the Ineos group as Villa raced into the lead.
      Brailsford’s face turned to stone as John McGinn and Leander Dendoncker scored.
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      But with the new chief looking down and the players keen to impress, the performance heavily improved after the break.
      The Amazon Prime cameras panned to Brailsford with United 3-2 up and commentator McCoist joked: “He’s working wonders that fella.”
      Commentator Jon Champion then quipped: “Miraculous influence he’s had.”
      Ratcliffe and Brailsford can only watch on until the takeover gets signed-off by Premier League chiefs.
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      When the deal is finally confirmed, they will be in charge of football operations.
      Ratcliffe has already written to Man Utd fans and vowed to bring the glory days back to Old Trafford.
      However, he stressed that his team need “patience” from supporters as they try to fix the club. More