Sir Dave Brailsford details ‘losing behaviours’ which two Man United players must change

Sir Dave Brailsford believes that there are winning and losing behaviours within an organisation, and Manchester United players often display the worst losing behaviour.

The INEOS chief will be an important part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s reign at Old Trafford, and he’s attended every game since the announcement was made on Christmas Eve.

Known for his excellence in cycling, Brailsford is not a footballing expert but instead focuses on getting the best out of an organisation as a whole. Something that United have needed for a long time.

However, even after a sporting director and CEO are appointed, his principles will likely trickle down through the club. The 51-year-old is known for looking into any possible way to improve performance.

One of his key principles comes through ‘winning’ and ‘losing’ behaviours and he believes that any losing behaviours embedded in an organisation will ruin the winning ones.

“You could be doing all these winning behaviours, but just one or two of these losing behaviours, and it outweighed all these winning behaviours,” Brailsford explained in a recent Sky Sports documentary series, Secrets of Success.

The INEOS leader then went on to highlight moaning as a clear example of a losing behaviour. This is something that Manchester United players have been criticised for so much in recent years.

“Moaning, for example. If I moan about everything and every time I come in it’s ‘Same old, same old, this that and the other’ – moaning is very much a losing behaviour,” added Brailsford.

“You can either moan about everything or you can take it on board and say I’m not going to do that, despite feeling disgruntled about something, I’m going to try to feel positive about it. For everyone winning or losing behaviour, there is the opposite.”

Now, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are two of Manchester United’s best players. They have carried the attack at Old Trafford many times in recent years.

However, perhaps the biggest critique of both players when things aren’t going well is that they moan. Bruno Fernandes received criticism from Sir Jim Ratcliffe for his behaviour during United’s 7-0 defeat against Liverpool last term.

Rashford’s body language is usually highlighted when he’s going through difficult form, and Fernandes is often seen moaning at the referee or different players.

Brailsford, or the new structure, is not going to kick out two of the club’s key players simply because of this. But his point remains valid, and with there going to be an adjusted culture at the club, those two – among others – might need to focus on showing those ‘winning’ behaviours more often.