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| Reuters |
Amidst the euphoria of Manchester United's stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Aston Villa on Tuesday, one figure sat calmly in the Old Trafford stands processing what had just occurred.
A sizeable majority of supporters in the stadium might not even have recognised Dave Brailsford. But over the coming months he is likely to become a familiar figure.
While INEOS founder Jim Ratcliffe's 25% acquisition of the 20-times English champions will not be officially signed off until early 2024 -- former kingpin of British cycling Brailsford will be scheming about what needs to change at a club that has been in steady decline since Alex Ferguson retired.
Fans might well ask why Brailsford, the brains behind Britain becoming a cycling powerhouse and who made INEOS Grenadiers (formerly Team Sky) multiple Grand Tour champions, would be entrusted with one of the biggest challenges in soccer.
After all, the 59-year-old, who Ratcliffe made INEOS's Director of Sport, has no obvious background in the sport.
Brailsford's "marginal gains" manta turned British cyclists into winning machines and while he took on a technical role with INEOS-owned French Ligue 1 club Nice in a bid to take on the Paris St Germain, the jury is still out on his impact.
United fan Ratcliffe, whose 25% purchase plus investment of $300 million will give him control of football operations, has been tight-lipped about who will do what in the new regime.
