Gareth Southgate signs close friend of Sir Jim Ratcliffe as former England manager and Man Utd target considers next move

Gareth Southgate has hired a close associate of Man Utd owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as a consultant as he considers his next move in management.

SunSport has learned that Southgate has been using Jimmy Worrall, who worked as a consultant for Ratcliffe’s company INEOS, since splitting with his agent Terry Byrne earlier this year.

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Worrall is the founder and chairman of conference company Leaders in Sport, which organizes networking events around the world.

The Liverpool-born businessman is also a consultant and has worked as an advisor to several major organizations including INEOS and the European Club Association.

Southgate has known Worrall for years and has decided to trust his friend’s advice as he plans the next stage of his career rather than employ a full-time agent.

Worrall has been involved in discussions with the FA in recent days leading up to the announcement of Southgate’s departure.

Southgate’s use of Worrall may raise eyebrows, given his links to Ratcliffe and other United stalwarts.

Worrall is also close to INEOS sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford, who recommended the appointment of Dan Ashworth, another close ally and former FA colleague of Southgate.

Brailsford has regularly appeared at events for Leaders and another Worrall company, P8, which holds private conferences for senior executives and managers.

United contacted Southgate when they were considering sacking Erik Ten Hag earlier this year, although he made it clear he would not even speak to them while he was contracted by the FA.

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Ten Hag had his United contract extended until 2026 earlier this month despite the club holding talks with other coaching candidates including Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Roberto De Zerbi, but a poor start to the season will see the Dutchman remain under new pressure.

Southgate split from Byrne in January following a failed property deal which left the agent owing him and other clients including Joe Cole hundreds of thousands of pounds in unpaid business fees.

Byrne, who has represented A-list stars including David Beckham and Pelé, borrowed £21 million through his company Round World Group to buy a six-storey building near London’s Oxford Circus last year.

However, a loan he had obtained to pay for the purchase of US fund managers Highams Saaz failed to materialize, triggering a financial crisis.

Byrne used money owed to Southgate and other clients to help pay off some of his debts and was unable to repay them.

The Oxford Circus building was seized by receivers and another company of which Byrne is a director, Round World Real Estate, was also placed into receivership.

Southgate received offers from agents around the world asking to represent him, but he did not accept any of them.

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Southgate transformed England from a deluded group of individuals into heroes who love to wear white shirts, writes Charlie Wyett

GARETH SOUTHGATE won nothing but changed everything, writes Charlie Wyett.

The decision to resign is correct, but Southgate leaves a legacy that will benefit his successor enormously.

So how will he be seen in history? It might be kinder in a few years.

Right now, there is still a lot of frustration about the way everything ended in Berlin.

However, Southgate is second only to Sir Alf Ramsey in terms of overall success and no other manager comes close.

Reaching two important finals – one of them for the first time on foreign soil – was a great achievement.

So did the overhaul of a dysfunctional football team that had just lost to Iceland at Euro 2016.

The players were so paranoid that they even refused to tell us in France who was the best at playing table tennis.

This deluded group of individuals thought everyone was against them – and they weren’t.

Southgate changed all that with a much more grown-up approach.

He encouraged players to tell their own story, to express themselves, and got rid of a siege mentality that didn’t need to exist.

Former coach Fabio Capello complained that the English team played with fear.

Under Southgate, players loved wearing that white shirt.

There were no more cliques, no more egos, no more leaving teams with questionable injuries, which would be sorted out in the next Prem game.

Southgate has created a club atmosphere within the England squad and now all you have to do is look at the photos every time the players shake hands at St George’s Park.

They are all companions, pulling together in the same direction, as it should be.

Southgate has been a class act and he leaves with his head held high.

England fell short with him in charge. There’s no denying that.

But let’s hope Southgate still gets the respect he deserves and is remembered as the man who, in fact, changed everything.

Read Charlie Wyett’s full article on Gareth Southgate.

Or check out all of Charlie’s Euro 2024 columns.