Sir Jim Ratcliffe might not have gone full Sir Alex Ferguson in his criticism of Newcastle but the man now making the calls at Manchester United is clearly getting a little frustrated.
There have been no ‘wee club in the north east’ accusations from the Ineos chief.
But, during an interview Ratcliffe gave to Bloomberg a few days ago, this was not the first time Manchester United’s new minority owner aimed a few frustrated digs in Newcastle’s direction as the Dan Ashworth saga drags on and one.
“One of the biggest issues in football, which I have to say I wasn’t fully prepared for, was the gardening leave issue,” explains Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada yet to officially start work at Old Trafford either.
“(This) is not something that I bump into in my business world. I see absolutely no point in the gardening leave thing that they have in football. It just makes it difficult to change things with pace because Omar is on six months, Dan Ashworth is on one-and-a-half years.
“Newcastle are just being very difficult and very awkward about Dan. Until you get the people in, it’s quite difficult to drive the change and it’s just frustrating.”
Dan Ashworth still hasn’t begun at Manchester United
As The Sun’s Alan Nixon points out, the worst-case scenario for Manchester United is that Ashworth is barred from taking up his role until March 2025.
Of course, this all suits Newcastle pretty nicely.
Likely to be direct rivals for a European place again next term, why would The Magpies not want to scupper United’s planned summer rebuild?
And Simon Jordan, who’s views on the Ratcliffe takeover have been mixed so far it’s fair to say, is falling down on the side of Newcastle in this debate. Man United, he feels, should simply pay the compensation fee Newcastle want if they are so desperate to get Ashworth through the door in the here and now, even if that rumoured £20 million asking price remains more than a little obscene.
“I think Newcastle should absolutely double down and tell him and whoever they liaison with at Man United to do one and pay the price,” the former Crystal Palace chairman tells talkSPORT (26 June, 12.40pm).
“Or get on with the consequences of not paying it.”
Of course, on the other side of the coin, Ratcliffe’s reluctance to bow down to Newcastle’s demands highlights his determination to rid United of the reputation they obtained during the Ed Woodward era. On countless occasions, the Red Devils would collapse in the midst of negotiations and end up forking over far more than they initially wanted to out of pure desperation.
Ratcliffe’s stance also goes some way to explaining why United and Everton remain far apart in their valuations of Jarrad Branthwaite.
Ratcliffe frustrated by Newcastle stance
Jordan does harbour some sympathy, however, in the sense that Ashworth’s appointment could be integral to putting a structure in place capable of letting Erik ten Hag go about his business on the training pitch without being distracted by responsibilities outside of his remit.
“(Ratcliffe) is right to some extent when he talks about the coaching framework,” Jordan adds, the Ineos boss looking to reduce the portion size on Ten Hag’s plate.
“If you don’t give a coach a really significant environment to work in, it is more difficult for them.”
United, at least, have Jason Wilcox in situ already. The former Southampton chief began his role as technical director in April. Berrada, meanwhile, will start life in his new office on July 13th.