Manchester United’s new investors, Ineos, have begun the process of restructuring the structure of the club after the new owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, met manager Erik Ten Hag at United’s training ground on Tuesday.

The agreement to buy 25% of the club was announced on Christmas Eve, and Tuesday’s visit is the first visit since then with Ratcliffe and Ineos representatives Sir Dave Brailsford and John-Claude Blanc holding talks with the Dutch manager.

While the deal will be ratified by the Premier League in the next six to eight weeks, Ten Hag revealed that the first discussions with the owners were positive.

“It was very positive. We had a long meeting, and for many hours, we sat together on many issues. We were on the same page. It was a very constructive meeting, and we’re looking forward to working with each other. We have to let it settle down. They are just coming in and introducing themselves. They have good ideas, so we have to see what we can integrate. We will work together, but you can’t tell that after one day. We have had our debates about strategies, and I think we will come together.” Ten Hag said.

After the discussions, there was also a triggering of the extended contract of three Manchester United players. One of the players involved is Aaron Wan-Bissaka, whose contract has been extended for a further year.

The 26-year-old has been struggling to make huge impacts with the Red Devils team, but Manchester United was keen to keep the player and reduce the chances of him talking to another team by extending his contract.

Bissaka would have been free to discuss deals and transfer with another team next year, but that has been sorted out with the one-year extension. Wan-Bissaka has 15 appearances, which includes 11 starts for Manchester United this season.

The 26-year-old was signed for £50m from Premier League side Crystal Palace in 2019.

Daniel Ademiju Idowu