Man Utd affirm director position ‘terminated’ as one other Sir Jim Ratcliffe appointment leaves

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has seen another one of his director appointments at Old Trafford leave after Manchester United confirmed that Jean-Claude Blanc has had his position ‘terminated’

Jean-Claude Blanc has stood down as a director of Manchester United after just over 12 months in the role.

According to Companies House, the role was ‘terminated’ at the end of last month. The former Juventus and Paris St Germain official was appointed to the United board last year, following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £1.3b investment in the club.

Blanc represented United at European Clubs’ Association and Premier League meetings. He also acted as interim CEO before the full-time appointment of Omar Berrada.

And it was Blanc who told a staff meeting in July about the first round of 250 job cuts at United.

He remains chief executive of INEOS, and will continue to represent United internationally, including in relations with UEFA and FIFA.

He has accepted a role that will see him become ‘Chief of International Football Relations’ and ‘Special Adviser’ to the board.

A club statement said: “Jean-Claude Blanc has stepped down from his position as a director of Manchester United Football Club.

“However, he will continue to have an active role in the management of the club in his new position as Chief of International Football Relations and Special Adviser to the board.”

Ratcliffe previously sacked sporting director Dan Ashworth just five months after joining the hierarchy, admitting it was a ‘mistake’ to have hired from in the first place.

On Ashworth, Ratcliffe told The Telegraph: “We’re talking about our old industry [with Ineos]. I think we just have to say, ‘chemistry’. Really, I don’t want to go down that [road]. It is what it is, and it was our fault.”