Erik ten Hag backs Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to overhaul Manchester United’s transfer operations as he feels it will ‘raise standards’ at the club.

Ratcliffe is set to take a 25% minority stake in the Red Devils, with board members voting on his £1.3billion bid on Thursday.

While the Glazers would remain majority owners, Ratcliffe wants full control of ‘football operations’.

This would leave the Americans to focus on the business side of the club, and Ratcliffe the performance side.

Over £1.5bn has been spent by United in the transfer market since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, but it hasn’t produced a Premier League trophy.

United argue their transfer business has improved under Ten Hag, with John Murtough taking on a more significant role below Richard Arnold.

But Ratcliffe has his own ideas, and the British billionaire has his own team in mind for replicating the success he’s had in cycling and Formula 1.

The Daily Mail say Ten Hag backs Ratcliffe’s ideas, as he’s grown ‘frustrated’ at United’s current set-up.

Last summer, there was confusion over what Ten Hag’s budget would be and the club ended up spending approximately £100m more than planned.

This was summed up by the acquisition of Mason Mount for £60m, who United had originally budgeted £40m for.

In Ten Hag’s opening summer, United spent £87m on Antony – which the club feel was around £30m overpriced.

MORE : France defender Jean-Clair Todibo apologises for laughing during minute’s silence

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France defender Jean-Clair Todibo has apologised for laughing during a minute’s silence before last Friday’s match against the Netherlands and insists he was not being deliberately disrespectful.

The 23-year-old, who plays for Ligue 1 side Nice, was caught on camera smirking during a period of silence in Amsterdam held for victims in Israel and Gaza and a professor murdered in Arras.

Todibo’s behaviour prompted outrage on social media while the French Football Federation’s Ethics Council will question him about the incident.

But the centre-back has moved to play down the furore, hijacking manager Didier Deschamps’ press conference on Monday evening to explain his actions.

‘Unfortunately the way this has been interpreted is just crazy,’ said Todibo after surprising journalists by walking into the media room at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy stadium.

‘I do not think I am disrespectful. It is just an incredible situation.

‘There was nervous laughter during the silence but in no way did I mean to make fun of what is going on.

‘We were in the middle of the fans and some of those fans cracked jokes. I laughed nervously.

‘I want to apologise for the nervous laughter but in no way was I being disrespectful towards the situation or what is going on.

‘Some people said I was making fun of the teacher [Dominique Bernard]. My mum works as a teacher so I have a lot of respect. It could have been my mum. This gives an image that is not mine. It is not me.’

Deschamps later addressed the controversy when he arrived for his pre-match press conference ahead of facing Scotland and says it was Todibo’s decision to explain himself.

‘It was his wish. He wanted to do that. He apologised to me,’ said the France boss.

‘It is not something he should be doing at that moment but it is always good to say something in your own words so he wanted to come and talk. It is not an easy situation for him but he is still available for the match.

‘It’s been blown up. He apologised as it’s not something anyone should be doing at that moment. It’s good he said something with his own words.’

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Barcelona are keen on Chelsea full-back Ian Maatsen, as the youngster continues to struggle in his fight to break into the starting XI at Stamford Bridge.

The 21-year-old has been with the Blues since 2018 but has spent the last three seasons on loan at Charlton, Coventry and most recently Burnley, shining in their promotion from the Championship.

The Clarets were keen to keep hold of him in their Premier League campaign and had a bid accepted by Chelsea, but the Dutchman turned down the move in the hope to prove his worth in west London.

Maatsen has been involved this season under Mauricio Pochettino, making six substitute appearances in the Premier League and two starts in the League Cup, but it is not quite what he had hoped for.

There is immense competition at left-back in Pochettino’s squad, with Maatsen struggling to leapfrog the likes of Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella and Levi Colwill.

Spanish publication Sport report that Barcelona are aware of Maatsen’s situation and that his contract at Chelsea expires in 2025 so the Blues will be keen to cash in on him next year.

Maatsen has not gone unnoticed on the international scene, earning a first call-up to the most recent Netherlands squad by Ronald Koeman.

He did not win a first cap in either of the matches against France or Greece, but will be buoyed to be involved, with hopes of making the squad for Euro 2024 next summer if the Dutch make it.

Virgil van Dijk’s late penalty securing a 1-0 win over Greece on Monday has put Koeman’s side in a great position to qualify and they will do barring a disaster against Republic of Ireland or Gibraltar.

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Kyle Walker has spoken out about the clash in the tunnel following Manchester City’s defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League, saying it was ‘probably a bit too much.’

A late Gabriel Martinelli goal was the difference between the sides at the Emirates earlier this month as the Gunners secured a huge 1-0 win.

Tempers flared after the contest, with Walker and Erling Haaland among those visibly angry as the teams left the field in north London.

It transpired that Arsenal coach Nicolas Jover, who used to work for Manchester City, was on the other side of the clash, with the Gunners man angering Walker and his teammates by trying to shake their hands after previously avoiding a handshake when Arsenal were beaten by City.

Asked about the incident while on England duty this week, Walker said: ‘I don’t like losing. A couple of matches before, Nico, who worked for Man City, he did not want to shake hands when we beat them before.

‘When we lost, he wanted to shake my hand and I did not take it lightly. Simple as that. I have been concentrating on England but I will probably reach out to him, definitely. I will say, it was probably a bit too much.’

Walker added: ‘It shows the standards I have achieved and what I have learnt over the years, it is a big match there and losing in the way we did and so late on hurts. But if it did not hurt I am probably at the wrong club as we are title contenders.’

Arsenal return to action at Chelsea on Saturday evening, after Manchester City host Brighton in a 3pm kick-off.

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Antonio Conte has already managed eight clubs and his country, but says he would love to take charge of both Napoli and Roma and add them to his CV in the future.

The 54-year-old left Tottenham in March this year after a tumultuous time in charge of the club and is yet to take up a new role in management.

Having won titles with Juventus, Chelsea and Inter Milan, Conte does not feel finished at all at the top level and has two big clubs in his sights.

The former Juve midfielder likes the look of the Napoli and Roma jobs, impressed by the passion and atmosphere on show from their fans.

However, he says he has no intention of joining them or any club in the middle of the season, only intending to take his next job over a summer break.

‘Certainly Napoli and Roma are two places that I would like to experience for the passion they convey to you,’ Conte told Italian TV show Belve.

“I hope that someday there will be the possibility of having this experience. But I wouldn’t join a team mid-season because those are situations where the team is created before your arrival.’

Conte revealed he has already had a lucrative offer to return to management since Spurs, but he has rejected an approach from the Saudi Pro League.

‘I’ve rejected a huge proposal from Saudi,’ he said. ‘I decided to say no.’

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Roy Keane found it ‘incredibly difficult’ to deal with players that could not meet his standards, and has been out of management for too long to return, suggests Darren Bent.

Keane has not been in charge of a team since leaving Ipswich in 2011, although he has been assistant at Republic of Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest since then.

The 52-year-old has been working regularly as a pundit for Sky Sports but declared recently that he fancies another crack at management.

‘I’d like to go back in, yeah,’ Keane said on Stick to Football. Asked why, he said: ‘I think it’s just the challenge of getting back in.

‘I’ve been out of management for a number of years now, but I’m still agitated every Saturday about not having a team and I’ve not managed for 10-11 years, so it never goes away.’

Bent, who was at Aston Villa when Keane was coaching there, is not sure he could return now after such a long time out, and noted a problem that the Irishman had in their time together at Villa Park.

‘He hasn’t managed in over 10 years, football has moved on,’ Bent said on talkSPORT. ‘I always felt like he found it incredibly difficult when he was playing with players that weren’t up to the level of what he expects.

‘We used to do training sessions at Aston Villa and a couple of simple passes that people misplaced he’d lose his mind, he’s stop the session and be screaming and it’s whether he can deal with that.

‘If he can deal with that and lower the standard of what he expects, that’s no disrespect because he’s one of the best to ever do it.

‘I think if he does that, I think he could be great, but I’m not quite sure…Ipswich Town was his last club as a manager and he left in 2011. That’s a long time ago. You talk about the evolution of football, it changes all the time.’

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The Euro 2024 qualification match between Belgium and Sweden in Brussels on Monday night has been abandoned at half-time after two people were shot dead in the city.

The victims were confirmed as Swedish citizens, reportedly wearing football shirts when they were shot near Saincteletteplein, to the north of the city centre.

Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo posted on social media: ‘I have just offered my sincere condolences to @SwedishPM following tonight’s harrowing attack on Swedish citizens in Brussels.

‘Our thoughts are with the families and friends who lost their loved ones.

‘As close partners the fight against terrorism is a joint one.’

The game, being played at the Stade Roi Baudouin was 1-1 at half-time, but an announcement was made in the stadium confirming that the players decided they did not want to continue the match.

Supporters have been held in the stadium, though, as part of the security operation, with the gunman still at large and the terror alert in Brussels has been raised to the highest level.

UEFA posted on the live blog of the game: ‘The match has been suspended at half-time due to security reasons.’

A further statement from UEFA read: ‘Following a suspected terrorist attack in Brussels this evening, it has been decided, after consultation with the two teams and the local police authorities, that the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifying match between Belgium and Sweden is abandoned.’

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Thiago Silva has left his options open as he is linked with a return to Fluminense when his Chelsea contract expires at the end of the season.

Still going strong at 39 years old, the veteran has started all eight of Chelsea’s Premier League games under Mauricio Pochettino so far this season.

He signed his current contract in February this year, which keeps him at Stamford Bridge until the end of the current campaign.

What will come next for the legendary centre-back beyond that is not yet clear, although there has been talk that he could return to a former club.

The 113-cap Brazil international began his youth career at Fluminense and after leaving, returned to the club in 2007, before moving to AC Milan two years later.

There is a chance that he could return for another stint at the Rio de Janeiro club, although he is not committing to it just yet.

‘This relationship has been going on for a long time, right,’ Thiago Silva told Globo’s Esporte Espetacular of Fluminense. ‘But I prefer to remain silent at this moment, as there has already been some controversy in the recent past.

‘I now have a family, I have children. So we have to think about this aspect too. It’s about seeing where things can bring us happiness, to finish this beautiful and successful career that I believe I have achieved.’

Former Chelsea defender William Gallas spoke last month of how he feels the Brazilian is playing like he knows it is his last season with the Blues and in the Premier League.

‘Thiago Silva knows that it is going to be a very difficult season for him,’ Gallas told Genting Casino in September.

‘He knows that this is his last season, and he doesn’t have the right support around him.

‘A player like Thiago Silva, who is thirty-eight-years-old, normally would be looking to the younger players to lift him, to help him with their quality.

‘Chelsea doesn’t have that quality at the moment. It looks like he has to manage everything at the back. During the game against Bournemouth [which finished goalless], he was trying to explain to the midfield where they have to go when he has the ball. That shouldn’t be happening.’

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Jonny Evans has revealed he considered retiring from football last season before his sensational return to Manchester United.

Eight years after leaving Old Trafford, the veteran centre-back was handed a one-year deal over the summer after initially returning to the club on a trial basis.

Though it was expected that he would just play a very minor role in Erik ten Hag’s plans, the 35-year-old has been called into action due to the injury crisis that has sidelined the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Harry Maguire.

And to the surprise of many, Evans has proven himself to still be a top defender, with United winning both of the games he has started, even assisting the winner at Burnley on his full-debut.

But it could have been very different had he hung up his boots at the end of the last season – something the former West Brom and Leicester star has admitted nearly happened as he struggled with injuries.

‘I went through a stage last year where I started thinking maybe it is coming to an end,’ the Northern Ireland captain said ahead of his country’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Slovenia on Tuesday.

‘There’s no doubt I did have those thoughts. At the time I couldn’t get over injuries and every time I came back I was breaking down.

‘I had lots of people telling me there’s no way you’re close to finishing, but you have to prove that to yourself and I feel like I’ve been able to do that.

‘Every time you complete a match you think, “There’s another one, I can do that”, and sometimes you just have to confirm that to yourself. I’ve been pleased I’ve been able to go through that process and I feel in a good place.’

A lengthy calf injury reduced Evans to just 14 appearances last season, with his absence playing a big part in the Foxes relegation from the Premier League.

The defender made 198 appearances for United from 2007 to 2015, winning three league titles, three League Cups, the Champions League and the Club World Cup before joining West Brom and then Leicester where he won the FA Cup in 2021.

With an awful start to the season leaving the Red Devils 10th in the table, Evans will be hoping to improve his side’s fortunes when they travel to Sheffield Unitedon Saturday night.

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Real Madrid have scouted Jobe Bellingham and are continuing to closely monitor the younger brother of their summer signing Jude.

It has been an immense start to his Real Madrid career for Jude, with the 20-year-old scoring 10 goals in his first 10 games for the club.

The England international has taken Spain by storm since his arrival from Borussia Dortmund and his club are interested in adding another Bellingham to their ranks.

Jobe only turned 18 last month but made 26 appearances for Birmingham City before his summer switch to Sunderland, where he has quickly gone into the starting XI and already made 12 appearances.

The midfielder has won caps for his country at youth level up to the Under-19s and that is where Real Madrid sent scouts to watch him, in a goalless draw with Montenegro last week.

Despite the result, El Nacional report that Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was very encouraged by the scouting report he received on Jobe.

A move is not imminent but the Spanish giants are keeping a close eye on Jobe, believing that a number of clubs across Europe could be preparing to pounce for him if his progression continues.

Real Madrid clearly have immense pulling power anyway, but can offer Jobe the chance to join his brother at the Santiago Bernabeu, which could be enough to secure a deal, even if they might not be offering him the regular game time that Jude is enjoying.

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