Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s ruthless decision could ignite war with Liverpool

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is wasting no time in doing things properly at Man United.

Far from being a shrinking violet about things, the INEOS chief is believed to be getting his hands dirty at the club, all the while identifying practices and processes that could be streamlined and improved.

It’ll likely be next season before we can truly start seeing the fruits of his labour, so in the meantime it’s imperative that Sir Jim hits the ground running and concentrates on those aspects he has some degree of control and certainty over.

He has already been quoted as saying how he wants to knock Liverpool and Man City off their respective perches (h/t The Guardian, subscription required), and he could make another swift decision that will rile the Reds up even further.

According to Mirror Sport, the Reds have drawn up a shortlist of a few candidates to replace Jorg Schmadtke as sporting director.

Michael Edwards is a clear favourite from the club point of view, though it’s thought that he isn’t interested in returning.

Florent Ghisolf, sporting director at Nice, is another potential hire, but given that INEOS own the Ligue Un outfit, it would be difficult to imagine that Sir Jim would want to help out one of the club’s biggest Premier League rivals.