As one of two Ineos representatives alongside Sir Dave Brailsford on United’s football club board, Blanc’s longer-term involvement at Old Trafford will be in a more advisory capacity. But without Berrada and Ashworth physically on the ground working alongside Wilcox at this critical juncture, Blanc will provide an important bridge in the meantime. Not only will he give Berrada more eyes and ears on the ground, the 61-year-old Frenchman can provide a trusted voice, there to offer expert insight, make recommendations and tap into a wide network of contacts established over 16 years working in senior roles at Juventus and Paris St-Germain.
Blanc, who has a reputation for calmness in a crisis and strong interpersonal skills, knows only too well what it is like to walk into a maelstrom after taking over as Juventus CEO in 2006 with the Italian club engulfed by Calciopoli match-fixing scandal. New leaders of a business or organisation often talk about the importance of the first 100 days and Blanc, inheriting what he described as a “mountain of problems to deal with at once” at Juventus, would later admit how decisive that period was for the club. “In those 100 days, we took many good decisions,” he said, which included tempting in Didier Deschamps as manager and persuading a number of star players such Alessandro del Piero, Pavel Nedved and Gianluigi Buffon to stay at the club and play in Italy’s second division.
United do not have a match-fixing scandal to contend with, thankfully, but there is no hiding from the challenges at hand, on and off the pitch. Eighth in the Premier League table and in growing danger of missing out on European qualification entirely with little money already to spend, a host of overpaid, underperforming players to shift and a manager whose credibility and authority is waning by the week, United’s new hierarchy have their work cut out.
It is 78 days now since Ratcliffe’s deal for a 27.7 per cent stake in United was formally completed and they will hit that 100-day marker in the days after the FA Cup final against Manchester City on May 25.
As reported by Telegraph Sport, United have no intention of sacking Ten Hag before that Wembley showpiece but they should have established a very thorough dossier of information by then on the manager, his overall approach, relationship with the dressing room and the credentials and availability of potential replacements from which they will make a final decision after careful, considered reflection.
There are various components to this, which is where Wilcox very much comes to the fore. One of his principal tasks as technical director has been to establish the right “game model” – in other words, a coherent playing style and identity – from which decisions over the manager, signings and sales will flow – not the reverse. Linked directly to that, Wilcox is effectively auditing Ten Hag and his set-up and will report back on where he feels United’s problems lie this season and if the Dutchman – all things considered – is an appropriate fit for them going forward or if his position is deemed untenable. Armed with all that information, Ashworth as sporting director would ordinarily be the one who makes the final recommendation for the board but, as the wait for his arrival goes on, Wilcox, Berrada and Blanc will be key to determining Ten Hag’s fate, even if it is hard to believe Ashworth will not be consulted in some form.
