J. Glazer set for key role after Ratcliffe £1.4bn purchase of 25% Man Utd stake

Joel Glazer is expected to sit on a three-man football committee following Sir Jim Ratcliffe's purchase of a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United.

In a development that may anger large sections of the club's support, the American - a key member of the hugely-disliked owning family - is expected to have a say in on-field matters after Ratcliffe's deal goes through.

The investment, of around £1.4billion, is being made on the understanding that Ratcliffe, who will also sit on the group with Ineos director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford, will have control of the football operation at Old Trafford. That includes signing and selling players and hiring and firing managers.

However, Glazer is likely to be consulted and have the ability to deliver his own view.

Sources close to the process have disclosed that while nothing has been signed off a proposal has been drafted which covers the new structure.

United fans had hoped that the 'strategic review' for investment or a full sale that was launched last November would see the back of the Glazers, who took over the club in a leveraged £790m buyout in 2005.

The only offer for a full takeover came from Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani, who withdrew from the race over the weekend.

But while Ratcliffe, with his 25 per cent stake, will assume effective control on football, Glazer will have a say and is also expected to continue overseeing United's commercial operation.

One insider, who did not wish to be named, claimed it would be 'ludicrous' to think that the Glazers would have no say following the investment, which is in the final stages.

'You cannot simply separate the commercial and football departments,' they explained.

'Football decisions have a knock-on effect on the commercial