Sir Jim Ratcliffe will discover extent of Manchester United task during January transfer window

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival at Manchester United summons a new era for the football club even if it is not as definitive as most would have wished.

The Glazers are still a big presence at United even if their work on the football side of the project will be waning soon. In fact, the surprise Christmas Eve statement signified that January will be the last transfer window under the American family's watch.

Their eagerness to offload football matters was evident and INEOS seem more than happy to take it on. Sadly for supporters, this winter is unlikely to break the mould from what we have come to expect.

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United confirmed to their Fans' Forum earlier this month that January is set to be quiet. Club officials said next month is not ideal for transfer dealings and as such do not anticipate playing a big role in the window.

We can expect either no signings or cheap loan deals which did little to help United last season. This will simply see the problems on the pitch at Old Trafford pushed a little further down the line for Ratcliffe to solve. It is hard not to feel a tad sympathetic to the British billionaire.

Clearly he is desperate to work with United and, in his own words, push them back to the top of European football. But, the Glazers seem more than happy to make the rebuild project trickier than it needs to be with their attitude to the January transfer window.

Over the course of the next few weeks, Ratcliffe will get a clear picture as to how deeply entrenched the problems are at United.