Dave Brailsford set for reduced role at Manchester United after Jim Ratcliffe's planned reshuffle
Brailsford has played a major part since Ratcliffe secured his stake in United in February 2024, stepping down as team principal of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team to take charge of footballing operations at Old Trafford and investing considerable time and energy in driving change at the club.
But after a season in which United finished 15th, their worst Premier League finish, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham, Ratcliffe is planning a shake-up which will see Brailsford return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, as first reported by The Times.
Under the plans, former Tour de France winner and Olympic champion Geraint Thomas is set to take on a leadership role with the Grenadiers when he retires as a rider at the end of the year.
Brailsford, 61, has overseen a major overhaul of United's operations, including a £50million redevelopment of the Carrington training ground.
Ratcliffe has scaled back some of Ineos's sporting commitments, terminating its sponsorship of the New Zealand rugby team and ending his bid to win the America's Cup.
However, Ratcliffe remains committed to the cycling team, who no longer hold the dominant position they did when winning the Tour de France in seven out of eight editions between 2012 and 2019.
Thomas, 39, has said he will retire after the Tour of Britain in September.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Luke Humphries has say on ‘fartgate' in message to rival James Wade after Players Championship darts win
JAMES WADE has proved that flatulent glee gets you everywhere - after the jubilant 'Fartgate' flinger won the support of Luke Humphries. The Machine shrugged off 2 James Wade roared back to win PC19 after a pong row at PC17 Credit: Getty 2 Luke Humphries was quick off the mark with a cheeky repl. Credit: Getty Wade trumped Scott Williams in the final to move back up to World No. 8. The English oche ace was so overjoyed to be on-song after his pong that he posted a message on X. And he got a surprise reply from Cool Hand, offering him congratulations - albeit with a mischievous twist... Wade, 42, wrote: "Good Morning everyone. Wow!! I'm over the moon you can't believe. READ MORE ON JAMES WADE "I played well in all games this week and last night was the high I've been aiming for!! Celebrations all round. "As always, thank you to all my supporters and the kind comments. "Thank you to my sponsors and management team!" World No.1 Most read in Darts BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The 2024 Ally Pally king said: "Great farts mate!! I mean 'Darts'." However, fans managed to be even less subtle than Humphries with their rip-ostes. James Wade names two darts stars who should NOT have been invited into Premier League darts One wrote: "You have blown all your opponents away, the smell of success is strong when your on stage." Another mused: "Must be great to let off a bit if steam, although Peter Wright might not agree." The farting furore exploded live on TV during Players Championship 17 when Wade let rip during a 6-5 victory over Wright. Snakebite might be better suited to dealing with stings than stinks - but he initially laughed it off. Referee Owen Binks reminded them "this is a streamed match, guys". Wade then suggested his Scottish opponent 'Give it a second' before he returned to the oche. But Snakebite appeared to believe that time period was a clear under-estimate. Wade went on to not just nick that match but get better as the week wore on - at darts, that is - peaking with the PC19 crown. Yet incredibly it's the second time the Surrey star has been caught in a storm of his own brewing. That blast from the past was at the Players Championship last September when he
The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
‘World class cooking' – Flamengo brutally troll Chelsea with throwback video game reference after Club World Cup win
FLAMENGO couldn't resist a cheeky throwback dig at Chelsea after the Blues' Club World Cup collapse. The Brazilian side 4 Chelsea suffered an embarrassing defeat to Flamengo on Friday afternoon Credit: Getty 4 Nicolas Jackson saw red in the defeat just minutes after coming on as a sub Credit: Getty 4 Flamengo's X admin couldn't resist a throwback dig at the Premier League side Credit: X In-form But They conceded two quickfire goals to go behind, before Wallace Yan secured the three points for the Brazilians with just seven minutes left on the clock. READ MORE ON FOOTBALL And after the final whistle, Flamengo's X account decided to go for the jugular. The club's official account wrote: "Easy win against London Blue!" London Blue refers to Chelsea's infamous name in the Most read in Football Japanese publisher Konami were unable to secure the license for Premier League teams, resulting in alternative names for the clubs and players in the popular game. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK One fan laughed in response: "World class cooking honestly." Another said: "London Blue!!!!! LMAO." Incredible ref cam footage shows moment Chelsea star Pedro Neto sent opponent 'back to LA and into next MLS season' While a third chuckled: "Oi they're calling them by their PES identity." And a fourth added: "Redefined the overrated league in the world." Maresca refused to defend Jackson after his reckless moment of madness on Friday. The 24-year-old FOUR minutes after entering the field as a sub. 4 Maresca told DAZN: "It was a red card. So nothing to say. 'Congratulations to them, they deserved to win. "We tried to do something different, also for next season, for the future, but congratulations to them. "I think they deserved it."
RTÉ News
2 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Drogheda up to second after ending turbulent week on a high
Drogheda United kissed goodbye to their European dream this week and if their victory over Sligo Rovers was another farewell of sorts, it was certainly more joyous. Douglas James-Taylor's fourth minute goal proved the difference in the end as United climbed back above Bohemians and into second place in the Premier Division. Their quest for European qualification via the league route takes on a whole different dimension now in light of their expulsion from the UEFA Conference League this summer. While a good display against Shamrock Rovers on Monday did not deliver a positive result, they displayed a determination and rigour against Sligo that will likely form the backbone of the remainder of their season. James-Taylor hadn't hit an open play goal of any description since his header in the FAI Cup semi-final last October. He has battled with a thigh injury this term though and his early strike against Sligo Rovers as just his second of the season. His loan spell ends in just 10 days time. The striker belongs to United's sister club Walsall and has certainly been one of the positives of their multi-club model involvement. If this was to his final home outing for the club, he provided a memorable send-off. There were just three minutes on the clock when Warren Davis harried Jad Hakiki off the ball and midfield and scurried forward. Somehow, there were no more in the opening 45 minutes. Davis failed to get a shot on target from eight yards when teed up by his strike-partner and Andy Quinn curled an effort just over the bar. In first half injury time, Conor Kane rattled the joint of crossbar and post. That was soon after a 60-yard run from Quinn that ended with James-Taylor poking a shot just wide of the goal. Sligo – who lost Gareth McElroy to concussion – played their part in a pulsating first half too. Wilson Waweru's near post flick was saved by Luke Dennison and then the Drogs goalkeeper was behind Owen Elding's shot from Will Fitzgerald's pull back. John Russell's team were producing quick, incisive play in dangerous areas. United's defence was being made to work hard for their clean sheet. They had the best chance of the opening minutes of the second half. Will Fitzgerald's volley was scooped over the bar by United's Californian stopper. Later on, both Hakiki and substitute Cian Kavanagh were guilty of failing to find the target when on each occasion, the net should have rippled. Both were especially damning on a night when a good Bit O'Red display was undermined by misfortune and misfire in front of goal. As expected, Drogheda owner and co-chairman Ben Boycott was present at the game. He addressed Kevin Doherty and his players in light of their UEFA Conference League expulsion. The Trivela Group CEO was also seen speaking to supporters prior to kick-off, likely offering apologies and assurances in equal measure. His team at least demonstrated that for failings off the pitch, they are still motoring along nicely on it. Drogheda United: Luke Dennison; George Cooper, Conor Keeley, Andrew Quinn; Kieran Cruise (Darragh Markey, 46), Luke Heeney, Shane Farrell, Conor Kane; Ryan Brennan; Douglas James-Taylor, Warren Davis (Thomas Oluwa, 79). Sligo Rovers: Sam Sargeant; Conor Reynolds, Gareth McElroy (Kyle McDonagh, 35), John Mahon, Reece Hutchinson; Jake Doyle-Hayes, Stephen Mallon (Oskar Van Hattum, 69); Owen Elding, Jad Hakiki (Francely Lomboto, 83), Will Fitzgerald; Wilson Waweru (Cian Kavanagh, 69).
