Sir Jim Ratcliffe could use Ineos’ Formula 1 involvement to help revolutionise Manchester United’s data analysis.

Amid a wide range of criticisms of United, Ratcliffe used an interview with the United We Stand fanzine to claim the club was “still in the last century of data analysis” and that it “doesn’t really exist here”.

Although the club does spend significant amounts of money on data, Ratcliffe is determined to improve the situation.

And that could lead to the appointment of Michael Sansoni, an engineer at Mercedes.

No deal has been agreed yet but Ineos is a part-owner in the Mercedes F1 team, which should smooth the process.

Sansoni is due to leave Mercedes at the end of the year and sources say a move to United would be akin to keeping him in the family and something that would be supported.

One of the major issues for United in recent seasons has been recruitment.

A gross spend in excess of £900m over the five years from 2019-2024 is a figure exceeded only by Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal over the same period.

Few of the new arrivals could be regarded even as qualified successes, with the likes of Antony, Jadon Sancho, Donny van de Beek and Rasmus Hojlund alone providing little return for a total outlay of £260m.

It has not gone unnoticed at Old Trafford how Brighton and Brentford consistently punch above their weight in Premier League terms because of their use of data.

Ratcliffe is committed to United making better use of their financial muscle and believes data is a way of doing that.