Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s right-hand man quits Man Utd in Ineos reshuffle | Football | Sport

However, it has now been confirmed that he has left the club altogether. He remains a close advisor to Ratcliffe and continues in his role as Ineos’s director of sport. Ratcliffe installed Brailsford at United after he bought a minority stake in the club and took over football operations in late 2023. Brailsfield, 62, was heavily involved in setting up the new leadership team behind the scenes at Old Trafford, including the hiring of chief executive Omar Berrada.

Brailsford, who had no previous background in football, was also a key figure in the revamp of United’s Carrington training ground, a £50million project that got underway last year. He spent a year overseeing football operations at United, but his only full season at the club did not go as planned.

United finished 15th in the Premier League in 2024/25 and lost to Tottenham in the Europa League final, missing out on European football altogether.

It emerged last June that Brailsford’s role at the club would be scaled back as part of a reshuffle that saw him return to his role as director of sport for the wider Ineos group, including Ratcliffe’s Grenadiers cycling team.

The break from United was formalised on April 30, a Companies House document published on Thursday confirmed, with Brailsford’s role as director of the club terminated. The board includes six Glazer siblings, former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and ex-chief executive David Gill.

United are set to appoint two senior Ineos figures to the club board as replacements, reports The Athletic.

United have enjoyed a better season this term. They sit third in the Premier League and have already secured a place in next season’s Champions League. Michael Carrick’s side visit Sunderland on Saturday.