Man Utd investor Ratcliffe to prioritize homegrown talent over foreign stars
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is set to instruct a new-look Manchester United recruitment team to prioritise homegrown talent as he aims to fire the club back to English football’s summit.
The INEOS chief is closing in on a 25 percent stake in United, with his £1.3billion buy-out edging closer to completion.
Ratcliffe’s group will assume control of United's footballing operation and have already started planning an overhaul of their recruitment set-up.
Mail Sport has learned the billionaire businessman is eager to see more of a domestic presence - particularly within the core of the team - at United.
Historically, United have shown a commitment to showcasing local and domestic talent - but, like with many other clubs, there has been a greater focus on the foreign transfer markets in recent years.
Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, just seven of United’s major signings have been homegrown: Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Daniel James, Jadon Sancho, Mason Mount and Jonny Evans.
And well-placed sources have indicated that Ratcliffe, who saw United dominate English football under Ferguson with a core contingent of British players, wants to reinforce a domestic flavour to United’s international squad provided, of course, they are good enough.
The British market is widely-regraded as being over-inflated, with many Premier League clubs believing they can land better value for money abroad.
And while United’s transfer policy under INEOS will ultimately dictated by financial limitations, there is a will from Ratcliffe to buy British.
The fact prospective signings have already experienced the rigours of English football is viewed as a key reason why INEOS feel buying British would be beneficial.
Director of Sport for INEOS
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