Chris Wood retuned to haunt Newcastle with a stunning hat-trick as Nottingham Forest handed new boss Nuno Espirito Santo the first Premier League victory of his reign.

Wood, the man for whom the Magpies’ new owners paid Burnley £25million in January last year in a bid to stave off relegation, took advantage of woeful defending to plunder a treble which ended his former club’s seven-game winning league run at St James’ Park and condemned them to a sixth defeat in seven games in all competitions.

A 3-1 victory was little more than the visitors deserved on a day when Eddie Howe’s men, who took the lead through a contentious Alexander Isak penalty, were ripped apart by Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White in front of a disbelieving crowd of 52,207.

Victory on Tyneside served as a boost to Forest’s survival hopes, but left a huge question mark over Newcastle’s chances of repeating last season’s top-four finish with a trip to Liverpool and Manchester City’s visit to St James’ to come either side of their FA Cup third-round tie against Sunderland.

The Magpies set off determined to provide a response to Saturday’s dismal 1-0 defeat at Luton, and their early pressure paid off after 23 minutes when Isak beat keeper Matt Turner from the penalty spot after defender Murillo had been harshly adjudged to have fouled the striker as he turned on Anthony Gordon’s pass.

Elanga, who tormented full-back Dan Burn throughout, hooked wide from Moussa Niakhate’s long throw, and the former Manchester United winger should have scored 12 minutes before the break when he got in behind Burn down the right, but could not find a way past Martin Dubravka.

Isak saw a cheeky chipped attempt turned over by Turner at his near post and Miguel Almiron skied an effort as he slipped at the end of a slick team move, and the Magpies were made to pay for missed chances in first-half stoppage time.

Almiron won possession on the edge of the visitors’ box, but failed to pick out a team-mate, allowing Gibbs-White to sprint upfield and find Elanga, who handed Wood the simplest of tasks to equalise.

It might have been worse for the hosts within seconds of the restart when Gibbs-White glanced a header wide from Elanga’s dangerous cross with Newcastle looking increasingly vulnerable.

Dubravka was relieved when Elanga fired straight at him after Gibbs-White had once again sparked panic among the home rearguard, but the Sweden international made amends with 53 minutes gone when he slipped the ball into Wood’s path and looked on as the striker turned Burn inside out before lifting a shot over Dubravka and into the net.

Howe swiftly replaced Burn and Almiron with Tino Livramento and Callum Wilson, but his side were undone again on the hour when Murillo’s through-ball split a ragged defence and Wood deftly stepped around the painfully exposed Dubravka to complete his hat-trick.

Isak saw a 67th-minute shot deflected wide and Lewis Miley only just missed the target two minutes later with Howe’s men scrapping for a way back into the game, but meeting both fierce resistance and devastating counter-punching, but the damage was done and there was no way back.

Mauricio Pochettino admitted his Chelsea players are falling well short of the targets set for them in pre-season as they seek respite from their sporadic Premier League form at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Results at Stamford Bridge have been the only bright spot in recent weeks with three straight wins in west London during December, meanwhile fortunes on the road have taken an alarming downturn.

Defeat against Wolves at Molineux on Christmas Eve was their fourth away loss on the spin following reverses at Newcastle, Manchester United and Everton, and has left the team facing the likely prospect of failing to qualify for Europe for a second season.

A Carabao Cup semi-final against Championship side Middlesborough in January could open the door to a possible route into the Europa Conference League, but a current league placing of 10th sees them trailing the top four by 14 points.

Pochettino admitted it is not what he anticipated approaching the midway point of his first Chelsea campaign.

“We’re so far away (from the target),” said the Blues boss. “Our target was to be on the top, even if no one believed us. But in the circumstance, we are fighting for different things.

“We are Chelsea, because our history demands us to be at the top. At the moment, being realistic, we need to increase the way that we compete if we want to win more games.

“We need to compete better than (against Wolves). I think the performance from the beginning of the season has not been bad. We can say it’s very good. But in terms of competing, we are in the bottom. That’s why we are not in a better position in the table.

“In football you need to have the knowledge, the quality, the set-up. But at some point in football in 90 minutes, you need to compete. You need to show in the way you play football. We need to improve there, and that’s about having all the players (fit), spending time with them together.

“We need to finish well, winning the (Palace) game, then to go to Luton (on December 30) and then start the new year with different feelings.”

Pochettino confirmed that Enzo Fernandez will miss the meeting with Roy Hodgson’s side having sat out the loss at Molineux.

Moises Caicedo is likely to return after illness prevented him traveling to Wolves, though Lesley Ugochukwu has a hamstring injury that forced him off on Sunday.

It means Chelsea’s injury woes show no sign of abating.

“The frustration is there, the disappointment,” said Pochettino. “The medical staff are working so hard to anticipate and try to avoid these types of problems.”

Pep Guardiola says people want Manchester City to fail “more than ever” after the club won the fifth trophy of a remarkable year.

City return to domestic action at Everton on Wednesday having added the FIFA Club World Cup to their previous 2023 successes in the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup and European Super Cup.

It is a unique achievement in English football, yet Guardiola won six trophies as Barcelona boss in 2009 when the Catalan club won La Liga, Copa del Rey, Spanish Super Cup, European Super Cup, Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup titles.

“It is a business you get credit when you win,” City manager Guardiola said ahead of his side’s trip to Goodison Park.

“You don’t win you are nothing, zero, what you have done in the past.

“As much as you win they want you to fail. More than ever. I felt than when we won the sextuple in Barcelona.

“It’s normal. They don’t want (us to win). In these 14-15 years what we have won, the titles, is unbelievable.

“People say ‘how good they play, how genius it is’. But they give credit just because we win. They don’t have to look further than that.”

City swept aside Brazilian opponents Fluminense 4-0 on Friday to win their first Club World Cup.

The victory crowned a successful five days in Saudi Arabia for City, with Guardiola saying the trip “created incredible team building and team spirit”.

But patchy domestic form over the past month – only one win in six games with four draws and a defeat – has left City off the Premier League pace, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham filling the top four positions on Boxing Day.

Guardiola said: “In the moment you don’t win you are going to get doubts, absolutely everything.

“But that is what is nice. That is OK. Doubt again, we’ll see what happens.

“I said before when we played incredibly well against Crystal Palace, Liverpool and Tottenham and don’t win.

“It’s a real proof they don’t care the way we play. We played the best levels quite similar to these (past) eight years and we don’t win. It’s a ‘disaster and crisis’.

“Of course we have bad moments like Aston Villa, who were better. But what’s the problem?

“They can play better so we have to accept it and move forward. The reality is we are happy, but they are waiting for us around the corner (to fail).”

Guardiola spent Christmas with his family in Barcelona before returning to England.

Although he described himself as satisfied after lifting the Club World Cup – “I have a feeling that the job is done, we have everything” – he has quickly turned his thoughts to Everton and nothing else.

“Never at the start of the season when I arrive do I think how many titles we are going to win,” said Guardiola. “Never, never. It’s a horrible approach.

“Nothing else exists than Goodison Park. The greatest athletes forget as quick as possible the success. They celebrate it, but around the corner is another competition.”

City are hoping Rodri will be fit despite the Spain midfielder sustaining a heavy blow to his ankle against Fluminense, while doubts persist over the availability of Erling Haaland, Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku.

Steven Naismith expects his buoyant Hearts players to embrace the hostility of Easter Road on Wednesday evening as they bid to maintain their impressive recent form with an away win over city rivals Hibernian.

The Jambos go into the second Edinburgh derby of the season two points clear in third place in the cinch Premiership with a game in hand after winning six of their last eight league matches.

Hibs are unbeaten in the last three meetings between the teams but Naismith feels his Hearts team has enough big characters to deal with the size of the occasion and the “abuse” that is set to come their way from the home support.

“Derby games are always good,” said the Hearts boss. “As players you always enjoy them. I certainly went into them seeing them as an opportunity as an individual.

“But for us as a team it’s another good opportunity to get three more points and continue the consistency in results. It’s also against your rivals, so it’s easy to get up for it and be ready for it, and we will definitely be ready

“I liked playing at Easter Road as a Hearts player, I enjoyed the abuse I got and tried to use it to my advantage, and I would imagine it will be the same on Wednesday night.

“We have got characters in our changing room, guys who are brave on the ball and guys who know how to play the game, so we are going there with loads of confidence.”

Former Rangers, Everton and Scotland forward Naismith, who also played in the Old Firm and Merseyside derbies, believes the Edinburgh equivalent is also among Britain’s “proper” derby matches. He enjoyed hearing the Hearts supporters singing “bring on the Hibees” during their 2-0 win over St Mirren at Tynecastle on Saturday.

“Not every player gets to play in a proper derby, and this is a proper derby,” said the Hearts boss. “Against St Mirren, the Gorgie Ultras (Hearts fans) carried the crowd towards the end and really kept it going. It was a good atmosphere and it all added into the mix of the derby.

“We are in a good run of form , we are confident and we have a good, healthy squad. We are in a good place.”

Much of the feelgood factor around Hearts at present stems from the form of captain Lawrence Shankland, who has already struck 15 goals this term after notching 28 last season.

“I came off the back of a season last year when I scored a lot of goals,” he said. “I then had a wee dry spell after the European games earlier this season but I always believed I would be back scoring goals and I’m glad to see them going in.”

Shankland feels his team are in good fettle ahead of the derby after back-to-back 2-0 wins over Celtic and St Mirren.

“We’ve had two very good results,” he said. “Obviously Parkhead was a a big one for us and it was important to back it up against St Mirren.”

Everton boss Sean Dyche has played down the potential impact of Manchester City’s successful expedition to Jeddah.

Man City return to Premier League action on Wednesday with a trip to Goodison Park after they spent the past week in Saudi Arabia competing and subsequently winning the Club World Cup.

It was a welcome distraction for Pep Guardiola’s champions, who have endured recent domestic struggles with only one win from their last six league fixtures, but Dyche will tell his squad to ignore such talk.

“Sides like that, they are so used to it,” Dyche said of City’s trip halfway across the world.

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“You think of the last five or six years under Pep and all the travelling they’ve done, all the things they’ve won, all the competitions, I’m not saying they are used to everything and this is probably slightly different, but at the end of the day I don’t think, I might be wrong, that they are travelling economy!

“I think they’ll be well looked after, so I won’t over-egg the physical side of it and they have so many good players, I still think they will put out a side that is a very strong side.

“And if it does help, then great and we’ll take all the help we can get but the main focus will be on us performing and not too much focus on them and what they have to do.

“In my experience of Man City, whenever you think of moments like that (poor form), they put out a side and deliver a performance.

“I will certainly make sure the players are ready and forget all of that, all the noise, all the news saying they are not doing this or that.

“Trust me, I’ve seen them a number of times and when you’re on the pitch with them, even when they make changes or they are stretched, they find a very strong side and a way of playing.”

Everton’s hopes of taking points off Man City have been dented by a growing injury list during a busy December schedule.

Key midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure recently picked up a muscle injury and Idrissa Gueye was forced off during Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Tottenham.

Both are unlikely to feature against City, which would result in Andre Gomes’ earning his first start of the season and Dele Alli is still building up his fitness after a recent returning to training.

Dyche said of Dele: “No, not yet. No, he’s not close yet.

“We knew when we skimmed down the squad in the summer, obviously trying to balance things financially and the money, there is a challenge with that.

“You can’t have people everywhere so you try to fill the slots the best you can and use what money is available to get a more balanced squad.

“When there are runs like this and these games, they often put pressure on the squad and that’s the way it goes, but we’ll deal with it the best we can.”

What the papers say

Chelsea are looking at a double January raid on Lisbon side Sporting, according to the Evening Standard. Ivory Coast defender Ousmane Diomande, 20, and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 25, are in the Blues’ sights.

Manchester City are in talks with River Plate midfielder Claudio Echeverri. The Times reports City plan to loan the 17-year-old back to the Argentinian side, who have a £21.4million release clause in his contract.

Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah, 21, is catching the eye of several Premier League clubs, reports the Evening Standard. Sunderland are keen to keep the French youngster but Crystal Palace, Fulham and Nottingham Forest are all circling.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is close to making a return to management, according to the Daily Mirror. The former Manchester United manager, 50, is the front runner to take over at Turkish club Besiktas.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Said Benrahma: West Ham’s 28-year-old Algeria winger is interesting Lyon, according to talkSPORT.

Roberto Firmino: Steven Gerrard’s Al-Ettifaq could takes the former Liverpool forward, 32, from Saudi Pro League rivals Al-Ahli.

Erik ten Hag admits Manchester United need to get Old Trafford rocking in a bid to put their season back on track.

United host high-flying Aston Villa on Boxing Day, three days after slumping to a 2-0 defeat at West Ham, in what will be their first game since it was announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe has agreed to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club.

The Hammers defeat was their 13th loss in 26 matches this term, and a 20th defeat in 2023 – their worst tally in a calendar year since 1989.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp criticised the atmosphere at Anfield following their Carabao Cup win over the Hammers last week, and Ten Hag knows he needs to give the Old Trafford faithful something to shout about.

“I am sure they are very disappointed in us and we have to put things right and do things different,” said the United chief.

“We appreciate all the time they are supporting us. With all the setbacks this season, they are all the time behind us and we really appreciate that. Of course we need any help but first of all I and the team have to do it.”

United have suffered their most defeats before Christmas since 1931, and need to bounce back against a Villa side threatening an unlikely title challenge.

“Villa is a different side in very good form, a very good team,” added Ten Hag.

“If you are creating the chances you have to take them, otherwise you don’t win games. That’s clear.

“I am not disappointed by the attitude, but of course we know what the standard is at Manchester United.

“We have to win as a team therefore responsibility we have to take as a team and every individual has to contribute 100 per cent in that responsibility.”

Ten Hag hopes to be able to call on centre-half Raphael Varane, who missed the defeat at West Ham through illness, while winger Amad Diallo could also be involved having returned to training after a knee injury.

United fans will be heading to Old Trafford in the wake of the Christmas Eve announcement that Ineos Group chairman Ratcliffe has agreed a £1.25billion deal with the Glazer family, the club’s American owners.

Ratcliffe, 71, a boyhood United fan, will inject around £236million, with Ineos set to take over the management of the club’s football operations.

Jamaal Lascelles has played himself into Eddie Howe’s long-term plans at Newcastle after stepping back into the firing line amid an injury crisis.

The 30-year-old defender found himself part of the supporting cast as head coach Howe, armed with the spending power of the club’s new Saudi-backed owners, embarked upon a spending spree which has to date seen them invest around £400million in the squad.

Sven Botman’s £32million arrival from Lille in particular left the Magpies’ club captain largely sitting on the bench, but the injury which saw the Dutchman miss almost three months of football handed the former Nottingham Forest man a chance he grasped with both hands in the final year of his existing contract.

Asked if he wanted Lascelles to stay, Howe said: “I’m sure contract talks with Jamaal… I’m just trying to wrack my brain as to where his contract is at, but I think he is part of our long-term future, for sure.”

Botman’s misfortune struck when he suffered a knee injury in September which sidelined him until he came on as a late substitute in a 3-0 Premier League win over Fulham on December 16.

In his absence, Howe turned to Lascelles and got exactly the response for which he had hoped as he stepped in alongside Fabian Schar and played his part in a Carabao Cup victory over European champions Manchester City and a 4-1 Champions League demolition of Paris St Germain.

In doing so, he demonstrated just how hard he had worked in training to be able to deliver the kind of football Howe demands of his central defenders and produce his best form to date for the club.

Howe said: “Jamaal has done really, really well this season and his game has come on in lots of ways.

“Firstly, defensively, he has always been very strong aerially and you saw that recently against Fulham. His defensive understanding of what we want him to do has been very good from day one.

“His use of the ball has improved, he looks really comfortable in the team at the moment, and he’s playing some really good football.”

However, Lascelles is facing a race against time to face former club Forest on Boxing Day after limping out of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Luton before half-time.

Howe remained coy over his skipper’s injury after the game and he will be assessed with Botman, who replaced him at Kenilworth Road, standing by to start a league fixture for the first time since the 8-0 win at Sheffield United on September 24.

Todd Cantwell has no doubt Kieran Dowell will go on to show his qualities at Rangers.

Both players were team-mates at Norwich and after Cantwell joined the Light Blues last January, his fellow midfielder followed him north in the summer.

The 26-year-old, however, has struggled to make an impact, albeit injury has played a part in his absence.

Dowell made his first appearance since November 1 when he played his part in the 2-0 cinch Premiership win over St Johnstone at Ibrox and his early opener against Motherwell at Fir Park on Christmas Eve after keeping his place helped the Light Blues to a 2-0 win.

Cantwell, who scored the second goal which took Philippe Clement’s side two points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand, said: “I feel sorry for Kieran. He had a tough injury not long after he signed which is difficult because it changes what it looks like for him.

“He came in, looked good, scored a good goal and has been injured since.

“Fair play to him for his consistency in training.

“Every single day he has been consistent. He is a top footballer, there is no secret to that.

“I’ve had the joy of playing with him at Norwich and we were successful there. That’s the plan here too.”

The driving rain and wind at Fir Park made playing football difficult but Cantwell was just pleased to keep the winning run going, with Clement now unbeaten in 16 games since taking over as Gers boss in October.

He said: “It was tough, about as windy a game as I’ve played in to be honest.

“It was quite hard to get out of our half in the second half.

“But we came to win and it’s not always going to be as pretty as you might like.

“It affects the game massively when it’s like that.

“It’s a challenge for some people to be standing at that corner where it was windiest, let alone playing football.

“But, listen, we went there to win the game and got two early goals which I think really helped us because we didn’t have to chase the game at that point.

“We had to show a bit of resilience and, yeah, get the win.

“It wouldn’t have been, I don’t think, a particularly enjoyable game to watch.

“But sometimes the best teams have to find a way to win in all sorts of conditions.

“Things are not always going to go your way and today we made sure that we got the win and kept the clean sheet again.”

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says he “shares the pain” of grieving families this Christmas amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The war has devastated large parts of Gaza, killed more than 20,400 Palestinians and displaced almost all of the territory’s 2.3 million people.

The mounting death toll among Israeli troops – 17 since Friday and 156 since the ground offensive began – could erode public support for the war, which was sparked when Hamas-led militants stormed communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 and taking 240 hostage.

Egypt international Salah, who has been in fine form for the Reds so far this season, scoring 12 Premier League goals, posted a message on X, formerly Twitter, saying: “Christmas is a time when families get together and celebrate.

“With the brutal war going on in the Middle East, especially the death and destruction in Gaza, this year we get to Christmas with very heavy hearts and we share the pain of those families who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.

“Please do not forget them and do not get used to their suffering. Merry Christmas.”

The US Virgin Islands Soccer Federation has announced former Reggae Girlz head coach, Vin Blaine, as its new Director of Football.

Blaine also previously served in the same role from November 2019-February 2022.

The federation made the announcement in a social media post on Friday.

“The USVI Soccer Federation is pleased to announce that it has appointed Vin Blaine as Director of Football.

With a wealth of experience, knowledge as well as a passion for the game. Director Blaine has served in numerous roles, in multiple countries. One of his most recent roles was being the Head Coach of Reggae Girlz (Jamaica).

The future looks bright for Virgin Islands Football.”

Blaine currently serves as Director of Soccer at the Village Elite Soccer Academy in Palm Springs, Florida.

He previously served as Technical Director for the Harbour View Football Club as well as Grenada Football Federation and was the Technical Coordinator for Jamaica’s National Women’s teams from 2005-2012.

He also served as head coach of the Reggae Girlz for 10 months from December 2021-September 2022.

Mauricio Pochettino refused to accept a lack of discipline is responsible for Chelsea’s unwelcome position as the Premier League team with the most yellow cards this season.

The team collected five bookings during the 2-1 defeat to Wolves at Molineux on Christmas Eve, amongst them Cole Palmer who will now miss Wednesday’s game against Crystal Palace after accruing five for the campaign.

Raheem Sterling also saw yellow for simulation when he sought a penalty in stoppage time, as Chelsea chased what would have been an undeserved equaliser against Gary O’Neil’s side.

The team has already seen suspensions for Reece James, Malo Gusto and Conor Gallagher after being sent off earlier in the season, whilst summer signing Nicolas Jackson is only two bookings short of 10 for the campaign and a further two-match ban, having also been suspended in September.

Yet Pochettino insisted that a will to improve the team’s spluttering league form is what is causing his players to act rashly.

“No, it’s representative that we play for Chelsea, we are in a big club, you feel the pressure,” he said. “When you are frustrated, and you don’t have maybe the experience of other teams, you make a mistake.

“Palmer is playing for us his first season as a regular. It’s normal. The players care, they want to win, they are frustrated.

“It’s not discipline. We need to have more the capacity to read the situation of the game.”

Pochettino also pointed towards injuries as a contributing factor in his team’s struggles, with at least eight players unfit for the meeting with Palace at Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Fernandez is set to be missing for the second straight game, whilst the manager has hinted he does not yet believe Christopher Nkunku and Romeo Lavia are fit to start after long spells out.

“My focus now is to recover players and to fix the many, many things that are going on from the beginning of the season,” he said.

“If you’re going to see the squad for the next game, you’re going to see more than eight first-team players (missing).

“I’m frustrated and disappointed not to be able to use all the players at the same time. That is why sometimes we’ve been up and down in our results.”

Todd Cantwell recognised the part Rangers team-mate Abdallah Sima played in his first cinch Premiership goal of the season against Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday.

The Light Blues were leading through an early Kieran Dowell strike when left-back Ridvan Yilmaz’s cross into the middle in the 16th minute was controlled by Sima before Cantwell quickly swooped to drive low past Well keeper Liam Kelly.

It was a second goal of the season for the former Norwich player and it helped Rangers move two points behind cinch Premiership leaders Celtic with a game in hand, ahead of the home game against Ross County on Wednesday night.

Former Norwich midfielder Cantwell told RangersTV: “I back myself in those areas to get goals and I am glad Abdallah didn’t swing his foot at it.

“I practice a lot in those types of positions to get chances and it was nice to take one.

“The manager knows what type of player I am and how I can benefit the game. Goals and assists are something that comes with my position.

“Goals are nice but I don’t put pressure on myself to get goals.

“I think we showed resilience and character but it was a tough watch and we know that, but we are looking forward to getting back to Ibrox on Wednesday.”

Manchester United have announced INEOS Group chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe will buy a 25 per cent stake in the club.

Here the PA news agency takes a look at some of the key questions following the £236million deal.

What does it mean for the club’s ownership?

In the short-term, not much, given the Glazer family are still majority shareholders.

However, under the agreement, INEOS has accepted a request by the board to be delegated responsibility “for the management of the club’s football operations”.

This is set to include “all aspects” of both the men’s and women’s teams as well as the academies. Just how Ratcliffe and the INEOS Group will implement those on a day-to-day basis remains to be seen – which has already been highlighted by the Manchester United Supporters Trust.

So when will the INEOS Group start their new job?

Detailed and complicated discussions have been going on for some time – but the announcement on Christmas Eve does not mean everything has been signed off.

United’s statement noted the deal was still “subject to customary regulatory approvals” which is expected to take some time.

The process must be ratified by the Premier League and also an official announcement made via the New York Stock Exchange.

Given the Christmas and New Year holidays, there have been suggestions it could take up to six weeks for changes to the club’s ownership to be established with all the relevant parties – which would come right in the middle of a key January transfer window.

What changes are their likely to be in the boardroom?

Lifelong United supporter Ratcliffe will bring with him plenty of sports administration experience – from owning French Ligue 1 side Nice, the INEOS Grenadiers elite cycling team, the Britannia sailing team fronted by Sir Ben Ainslie as well as a holding in Formula One with Mercedes.

Along with structural change, it is expected Ratcliffe will look to bring in some fresh personnel.

Sir Dave Brailsford, former performance director for British Cycling and current director of sport for INEOS, is reported to be in line for a key role at Old Trafford – as is INEOS Sport chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc, who has also held key positions with Juventus and Paris St. Germain.

Manchester United’s director of football, currently John Murtough, is another role which has been suggested could be under review once the INEOS deal is formally approved.

So what about manager Erik ten Hag?

United suffered a 13th defeat of a so-far uninspiring campaign when beaten 2-0 at West Ham on Saturday – the most they have lost before Christmas since 1931.

Despite being well off the pace in the Premier League and failing to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League, Dutchman ten Hag insists he can turn things around again.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has vowed to return United to “the very top of English, European and world football” – which means results will either have to improve or INEOS could well implement some of that “delegated responsibility” in the dugout.

What else will be on the ‘to-do’ list?

As well as refurbishing the debt-laden club’s infrastructure under the agreement, INEOS will inject £158m (USD 200m) to upgrade Old Trafford.

The on-going renovations are much needed – with reports of roof leaks and a feeling of out-dated concourses which leaves United behind many of their Premier League rivals (not to mention over at the Etihad Stadium).

Ratcliffe’s pledge to see United competing with the best on the pitch again is also not likely to come cheap in the transfer market or be a quick fix – and neither will be unifying the fanbase once again on the back of what MUST feel has been “18 years of debt, decay and mismanagement”.

Gary Neville has described Manchester United’s year a “disgrace to the end” after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in the club was announced on Christmas Eve.

Neville wished Ineos Group chairman Ratcliffe, 71, a childhood United fan who was born in nearby Failsworth, “all the very best” in attempting to return the club to former glories.

But former United captain Neville questioned the timing of the announcement, which came at 4pm on Christmas Eve, writing on X: “Manchester United 2023 has been a disgrace to the end.

“The timing of this is truly awful and no functioning organisation would even think about it.

“Anyway all the very best to Jim Ratcliffe and I hope he can somehow work out a way to get the club right again and back to being something respectable on and off the pitch.”

Ratcliffe’s purchase of a 25 per cent stake comes after the club’s United States-based owners, the Glazer family, revealed their intention to undertake a strategic review of their options, including the possibility of selling up.

United have suffered a poor season so far, losing more matches before Christmas than in any season since 1930 and have not scored for four games – their worst run for 30 years.

Erik ten Hag’s side have dropped to eighth in the Premier League, eight points from fourth-placed Tottenham, and finished bottom of their Champions League group.

Ratcliffe has agreed to inject around £236million into the club and Ineos will take over the management of United’s football operations.

But Manchester United Supporters Trust has questioned how the relationship between the Glazer family and the Ineos Group will work, calling on the club’s owners to clarify the situation.

MUST also said fans would be left with “mixed feelings” after Ratcliffe’s investment left the Glazers still in overall charge at Old Trafford.

“During 18 years of debt, decay and mismanagement, Manchester United fans have loudly and consistently called for change at our club,” a statement from MUST read.

“When the so-called Strategic Review was announced nearly a year ago, it finally appeared that the sale of the club was on the horizon, potentially bringing the new investment and new direction MUFC so clearly needs.

“Against that backdrop, fans have very mixed feelings today. We welcome the investment from a boyhood red, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos company, but many will wish his ownership stake was greater than the initially rumoured 25 per cent.

“We note the statements that he and his team will control sporting activities, yet puzzle how any organisation can put its very core business in the hands of a minority shareholder, and how that meaningfully works in practice.

“It is now incumbent on the club’s owners and management to properly explain how this new structure will work, where the new investment will be directed and how it will benefit the team on the field.

“As the supporters’ trust, we expect to have discussions with the club management and the Ineos team in the near future to understand their plans, and to put to them the very many questions fans have today.

“Today might – just might – be a step forward for Manchester United after some very difficult years. But with the Glazers still in charge, people should understand that United fans will remain sceptical and wait for the proof in the pudding.”

It is understood that Premier League approval for Ratcliffe’s investment could take between four and six weeks.