The Monaco summit that will decide the future of Carrick and Man Utd

The assumption is yes.

If Ratcliffe was to decide otherwise, it would raise serious questions over the future of Berrada and Wilcox.

How could they work with Carrick again in that scenario?

The pair have been the subject of intense and frequent fan discontent. But sources are adamant that Ratcliffe still retains faith in the pair, even though United are heading towards sacking a manager in mid-season for the third successive year, having backed them in the summer and spend millions on new players.

Ratcliffe is a ruthless operator, and has clear opinions of his own. He also has form, spending £5m hiring Dan Ashworth as sporting director from Newcastle in 2024, then waiting for the 55-year-old to spend five months on gardening leave before he could start work.