Premier League club Manchester United have announced interim chief executive Patrick Stewart and chief financial officer Cliff Baty will leave the club at the end of the season.
Jean-Claude Blanc, the chief executive of United’s minority owners Ineos Sport, will step into Stewart’s role until July 13, when Omar Berrada will take over after his impending arrival from Manchester City.
Roger Bell, the former CFO at Ineos Sport, will replace Baty.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe said: “I would like to personally thank both Patrick and Cliff for their support in helping us get to know the club and making us feel welcome and I respect their decisions to now move on as we establish a new management team for the club.”
Joel Glazer said: “I would like to thank Patrick and Cliff for their dedicated service to and wish them well for the future.
“Both have been a source of invaluable advice and expertise over many years, and Patrick has served an important role as interim CEO during this transitional phase.”
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Meanwhile, Antony says the critics are only fuelling his desire to prove his worth at Old Trafford as under-fire Erik ten Hag and his stuttering side look to end a tough season on a high.
This has been a poor campaign for all connected to the Old Trafford outfit, who exited Europe before Christmas and are almost certainly going to miss out on Champions League qualification.
United face a fight for sixth spot and stumbled to a 1-1 home draw against relegation-battling Burnley on Saturday, when Clarets substitute Zeki Amdouni’s spot-kick cancelled out Antony’s late effort.
It was a first Premier League goal in a poor campaign for the £84.8million winger, who is among a number of players to have underperformed in a season to forget for the Red Devils, but could yet yield silverware with the FA Cup final against Manchester City to come.
“It’s been a very tough year for me and the team,” Antony, 24, said. “The results are not ones we have expected.
“I am someone who takes criticism very well and I want to work on it, and I think we all have to focus on finishing the season the best as we can.
“We still have a few Premier League games and the (FA Cup) final, but then we need to focus on the next season and not commit the mistakes we’ve committed this year.”
An eye-watering injury list offers some mitigation for United, where the future of key personnel – from Ten Hag to his players – is under the spotlight as Ineos look to turn things around.
They took control of football operations as part of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority takeover deal and immediately highlighted player trading as an issue requiring improvement.
The deal that brought Antony from Ajax in 2022 will have surely raised eyebrows at Ineos, with United having committed to paying £80.6m with a further £4.2m possible in add-ons.
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The price tag has been brought up frequently during the Brazil winger’s slow first season at Old Trafford and a disappointing second in which he has faced allegations of abuse that he has always strongly denied.
Antony said: “(The transfer fee) doesn’t really impact me because I know my worth.
“The money is the money and obviously everyone speaks about it but no one would if the performances of everyone and myself were at the top.
“So, it’s something that is just a way of working harder, knowing I can get better, I know my worth and I will.
“As I said the critics are going to exist, and it’s something that makes me want to work harder, prove to myself first.
“I’m going to keep working, giving everything for the group because it’s most important to have a good mentality and to be focused.”
Antony, Ten Hag and the rest of the team have the chance to change the mood heading into a big summer by winning May’s all-Manchester FA Cup final.
