”Not for me…” Manchester United legend unsure over first huge INEOS change

Manchester United legend Andy Cole admits that he didn’t know of Omar Berrada before he was announced as the new CEO and is unsure about the effect he will have on the club.

Ever since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s successful bid for 25% of the club, the billionaire along with his right hand man Sir Dave Brailsford have been reviewing and looking to change those in charge of many important departments and made a defiance statement by recruiting Omar Berrada as their first significant change at Old Trafford.

United’s announcement of Omar Berrada as their new CEO took many in the footballing world by surprise, none more so than former Red Devil Andy Cole who didn’t even know of Berrada’s existence or importance to Manchester City’s success.

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“I’ve never heard of him [Omar Berrada]. I’m just being honest, and I don’t want to sound disrespectful, but there wasn’t a lot of talk about him when he was at Manchester City.

“The two main people who were mentioned were Txiki [Begiristain] and Pep [Guardiola], so I don’t even know what to say about Berrada. If people say it’s a good appointment, then it’s a good appointment, but I can’t talk about an individual I don’t know,” Cole told BetFred.

Cole scored 121 times in 275 appearances for United, and as a player whose career was studded with trophies, especially during his time at Old Trafford, the 52-year-old admits that he’s not an avid follower of the off-the-pitch business.

“I’ve not really taken the INEOS ownership in. Personally, I’m looking at everything from the playing side, and as an ex-player of the club, I’m interested in whether the team is playing well or not. What happens upstairs, happens upstairs, and that’s not for me to worry about.”

The treble winner adds: “Naturally, I want them to change things and make Manchester United successful again, but regarding the signings the club is making upstairs, are they going to make Manchester United successful on the pitch again? That’s what needs to happen.

“Whatever happens at the board level should translate onto the football pitch. It would be great to see Manchester United play with an ID, winning football matches on a regular basis and competing for major honours again.”

Berrada certainly has a track record of trophy success, and with INEOS striving to hire others with a similar winning mentality, glory could soon return to where it belongs, the red side of Manchester. He is due to start work in the summer.