Manchester City’s stars Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne are the envy of every football club. But Manchester United have raided their local rival for their new chief executive to restore the 20-times English champions to glory.

Omar Berrada faces the daunting task of leading United into a new era following Monaco-based billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s $1.3bn deal to buy a 25 per cent stake in the club that sets him up as a co-owner alongside the American Glazer family.

In an exclusive interview with the Financial Times at City’s Etihad campus in November last year, Berrada, who left his role as chief football operations officer at City Football Group and is now on gardening leave, laid out his operating principles that may hold clues to his approach at United.