Manchester United are rotten – Arsenal legend says

It has finally been confirmed that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has finally secured a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United.

The British billionaire will handle control of football operations, and there’s massive expectations among the United faithful.

Cycling legend Brailsford is expected to take a leading role at Old Trafford, as he has done with other INEOS-backed sporting ventures.

Despite Brailsford successes of Team GB and Team Sky cycling over the last decade – Arsenal legend Paul Merson thinks those skills may not work in the football world.

The Gunners legend doesn’t think things will change immediately at Old Trafford, as he also claimed that the Glazers aren’t the problem.

“The first thing they’ve got to sort out is the recruitment,” Merson told Sky Sports.

“I’m not sure about the man coming in, the cycling man (Sir Dave Brailsford).

“It didn’t work with (rugby legend) Clive Woodward at Southampton. I think you’ve got to get football people in – in my opinion – and work with football people. This is a big football club.

“There will be no-one else to blame now. They cannot keep blaming the Glazers. Everybody’s hiding behind everybody.

“They’ve got to start performing. At the moment they are all over the place. They’re rotten. I’m not being horrible there.

“I think the manager is very fortunate. The attitude of the players, I don’t see any fight.

“I don’t like that. You’re playing for the biggest club in the world. They are all over the place.”