Man Utd overhaul gathers pace as Red Devils set to raid Crystal Palace for sporting director Dougie Freedman

According to a report in The Sun, incoming INEOS CEO Sir Jim Ratcliffe is planning to hire Freedman when he secures his 25% stake in United. Ratcliffe's first move was to axe chief executive Richard Arnold, who stepped down on Tuesday and will be temporarily replaced by Patrick Stewart.

Arnold's removal is only the first step of Ratcliffe's planned overhaul of United and the petrochemicals chief is also looking for a new sporting director. That spells bad news for incumbent John Murtough, who was appointed in 2021 and has overseen a number of woeful transfers, such as Antony, Jadon Sancho and Wout Weghorst.

Freedman was a former striker and manager for Palace and has had big success since being appointed sporting director in 2017. He oversaw the signings of Palace stars Eberechi Eze, Michael Olise and Marc Guehi and helped the club build a new youth academy.

Ratcliffe is expected to complete his minority takeover in the club by the end of the year and will then begin to remould United in the hope of revitalising their fortunes after a horrendous start to the season.