Ratcliffe to bring all-time great defender to Man Utd in shock move
Robin Bairner
- 17 Nov 2023 01:43 CST
- 3 min read
One of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first moves at Manchester United will be to bring one of the game’s all-time great defenders to Old Trafford in an unexpected move.
If fans are hoping to see Harry Maguire, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof or even Lisandro Martinez moved on, though, they are set to be disappointed as Ratcliffe is targeting Paolo Maldini for the role of sporting director.
Britain’s second richest man is set to complete a minority takeover of Man Utd from the Glazer brothers, and while he will only own 25% of the club, he is expected to take charge of the sporting structure of the ailing side.
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One of his top priorities is to bring in a sporting director, and while FootballTransfers understands that it is looking positive for former Monaco boss Paul Mitchell to arrive at Old Trafford, The Telegraph indicates that Maldini is on the shortlist of names being considered by Ratcliffe.
Maldini is presently out of work, having left AC Milan, where he was the technical director, in the summer after a disagreement with owner Gerry Cardinale.
His signings at San Siro caught the eye, with Maldini picking out up-and-coming talents like Rafael Leao, Fikayo Tomori and Mike Maignan to sign for Milan. This led to the club winning the 2021/22 Serie A title while Maldini and fellow director Ricky Massara were named joint Sporting Directors of the Year and the 2022 Globe Soccer Awards.
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Massara is another one of the names on Man Utd’s shortlist along with Atalanta’s Lee Congerton, Atletico Madrid’s Andrea Berta and Crystal Palace’s Dougie Freedman.
FootballTransfers understands that Mitchell, like Maldini, is still in the driving seat for the position.
Who did Paolo Maldini play for?
Maldini, who is now 55, was a one-club man during his playing career, featuring for Milan between 1984 until 2009, during which time he won all the game had to offer at club level, including five European Cups in what was the heyday of the Rossoneri. He is recognised as an iconic figure at the club.
Milan’s strength in that era was their defensive line, of which Maldini was an instrumental part, whether playing on the left or in the centre.
