Manchester United have pulled off a coup in the first major appointment of the Sir Jim Ratcliffe era, as Omar Berrada of Manchester City has been appointed chief executive.

The recommendation came from Ineos, and was backed by the board, who have been looking to fill the role since Richard Arnold left last year.

Although there had been expectation that Jean-Claude Blanc would step in as CEO, his preference is to stay with the wider sporting group owned by Ratcliffe. That led United to Berrada, and it is understood he had been earmarked for months.

The Catalan was one of the key executives at City, and the move has already drawn comparisons within the game at how the Abu Dhabi-owned club appointed a series of executives from Barcelona when the Camp Nou club were the world’s leading football outfit. It was that strategy that led Berrada to City back in 2011, where he took a role as commercial director before being promoted to chief operating officer at the club and chief football operations officer at City Football Group.

Having worked heavily on major football issues such as signings through that time, the executive will now be the key figure at Old Trafford and sit on the board. The discretion United have shown in appointing Berrada has earned new respect within the game, as there was genuine surprise at the news.

Berrada had previously worked for Barcelona for eight years, most notably as head of sponsorship.

A Manchester United statement on Saturday (20 January) read: “Manchester United is pleased to announce the appointment of Omar Berrada as its new CEO. The Club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey.

“As one of the most experienced football executives at the top of European football, Omar brings a wealth of football and commercial expertise, with a proven record of successful leadership and a passion to help lead change across the Club. He is currently serving as Chief Football Operations Officer for City Football Group overseeing 11 clubs across five continents and, prior to this, held senior roles at Barcelona.

“It is our stated ambition to re-establish Manchester United as a title-winning club. We are pleased that Omar will be joining us to help achieve that goal, so that, once again, United fans can see, in the words of Sir Matt Busby, the red flag flying high at the summit of English, European and world football.

“Omar’s start date will be confirmed in due course; in the meantime, Patrick Stewart will continue as interim CEO.”

Ratcliffe is still waiting to pass the Premier League’s Owners and Directors Test.