Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has insisted that the English giants "will strike back" with the help of the club's incoming minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

On Christmas Eve, it was confirmed that Ratcliffe, via his INEOS Group, had agreed a deal to purchase 25% of the 20-time English champions, with the move expected to be ratified by the Premier League within the next month.

Ratcliffe was present at the club's Carrington training complex last week alongside Sir Dave Brailsford, who is set to be heavily involved at Man United moving forward, with Ten Hag revealing that "very positive" discussions had taken place.

The 71-year-old is set to take over the football department at Old Trafford, and he will bring in his own team to address an area of the club which has struggled in recent years.

Ratcliffe's stake is expected to increase from 25% to 29% once his investment into the infrastructure of the club has been converted into shares, while it is believed that the British billionaire has plans to complete a full takeover in the future.

© Reuters

The 2023-24 campaign has been tough for Man United, with the team already suffering 14 defeats, and there will be no European football in the second half of the campaign, as the Red Devils finished at the bottom of their Champions League section.

Nine losses have also occurred in the Premier League, where they sit down in eighth position in the table on 31 points, nine points behind fourth-placed Arsenal.

Man United did manage to progress in the FA Cup on Monday, though, as goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes saw them record a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

Ten Hag was asked about the arrival of INEOS after the FA Cup third-round clash, and the Dutchman has said that "everyone is optimistic" when it comes to the club's future.

© Reuters

"I think it's an inspiration. Everyone is optimistic but there's a lot of work to do. We have had a lot of setbacks. I think in the summer we were on a good way, but it's a journey, it's a project," the manager told ITV.

"Now we have to deal with some setbacks but we will keep alive, we will survive it, and we will strike back."

Jean-Claude Blanc sat alongside Brailsford in the stands at the DW Stadium on Monday evening, with the Frenchman seemingly set to be a part of Ratcliffe's team at Man United.

The 60-year-old is currently working as chief executive of INEOS Sport, while he has previously been the Juventus CEO and marketing executive of Paris Saint-Germain.

Blanc formerly worked for the French Tennis Federation as a chief executive before switching his talents to football, and he is now seemingly set to be named Man United's new CEO.