Trust is something you must earn in life; it is not just handed out for the sake of appearances.
The scar tissue of over two decades of financial mismanagement and Glazer plunder has understandably left an indelible mark on the Manchester United fanbase.
Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival, with promises of widespread improvements, ushered in many questionable decisions, including mass redundancies, ticket inflation, and a general tone-deafness towards supporters.
Naturally, this led plenty to bracket the Ineos chief into the same category as his American colleagues, and it’ll take a small miracle for him to erase this public tattoo.
But the 73-year-old is not making sporting decisions at the club; that has been left to Omar Berrada, Jason Wilcox, Christopher Vivell and Michael Sansoni.
This quartet are part of a larger collective that is attempting to assemble a squad befitting the expectations of the football club and the ambitions of Michael Carrick.
All the while, they are working within an internally agreed-upon financial structure and attempting to remove an inferior negotiating image that took root during their predecessors’ reign.
Are they without blame as a team during their time at M16? No, they are not. However, they have delivered in several acquisitions, and acknowledging that should not be met with contention.
Take what you will from this summer window to date, and the endless messages about net spend and a lack of ambition, but Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans have categorically improved this United squad.
I don’t say this as a vote of support for Ineos; I am stating what I believe to be factual, given the duo have replaced a 34-year-old Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte, a player destined for departure before injury.
Whether the club forked out £83 million or £830 million on both players should not be part of this conversation; we should focus on their qualities and trust the manager’s word; he has certainly earned it.
Pre-season results matter less than I care to describe, but the fitness, squad harmony, and passages of tactical intentions are crucial ahead of a new Premier League season.
Santos, despite initial naysayers, has restored confidence in front of his back four. His continuous desire to drop deep, command the football and dictate transitions with smooth line-breaking passes is a joy to behold.
Our sources have relayed positive messages about his ability to shoulder the weight of expectations at Old Trafford and expressed remarkable confidence in him.
Carrick’s glowing endoresements further solidified this on Thursday afternoon. “Andrey, for such a young man to come in the way he’s come in, his character, his personality is a dream,” the United boss stated at Carton House.
“He’s so positive, so mature, so switched on; he wants to learn. He comes in straight away, and he’s trying to help other players and talk in games and communicate in games.
“He has that personality where he’s got a real substance to him, and [I’m] delighted to have him, delighted to have him when he came in.”
In Tielemans, the 20-time English champions have recruited what could very well prove to be the deal of the summer for a fraction of his worth.
Like Santos, some opted to bemoan details, such as contractual length versus age. Nonetheless, his qualities on and off the field are worth every penny of his £35m fee and five-year commitment.
Not only will his elite playmaking complement the likes of Bruno Fernandes, but his mentorship of Andrey and Kobbie Mainoo will be worth its weight in gold.
“Youri’s a little bit more obvious, probably because we’ve seen an awful lot of him,” Carrick added.
“But again, the character, the personality, the presence, and the quality on top. But being a team player and understanding that and connecting everyone together, I think it’s important we got that right.
“The two midfielders, in particular, I think give us an awful lot moving forward.”
I assure you that while the 45-year-old coach shares public sentiment about the need to solidify his squad with further options, he genuinely trusts his recruits and their qualities in the heart of his midfield.
But this understanding is widespread among both young and old, with squad morale appearing to be at an all-time high under his guidance.
Much of this feeling stems from the byproduct of an upsurge in form since January and from the prospect of what many within the club believe could be a successful season for this group of players.
“The spirit that there is, not just the playing squad, but within the whole group, staff and extended staff, I think is important,” Carrick stated on the latest Inside Carrington.
“Everyone’s enjoying being together, being here trying to achieve something, working hard and that side of it off the pitch is good. I think we’ve got a really balanced squad.”
With preparations continuing ahead of a final pre-season outing against Milan before a season opener against Hull, we can confirm that work is ongoing regarding additional summer signings.
As we revealed yesterday, there is confidence in securing a package for Louis Page, with aspirations to integrate him into the first team. But this Ineos-assembled sporting team is also eager to add another full-back.
And because of this, we have been told that Wilcox and co are calm and working on the assumption that they can and will deliver a suitable summer window, and are eager to be judged at that stage.
Given what they know about the fragility within the fanbase, we can only assume they are fully aware of the ramifications of failing to achieve this and the negative connotations it carries.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments or across our social channels–photo via manutd.com.
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