Soccer Football - Funeral of former England and Manchester United footballer Bobby Charlton - Manchester Cathedral, Manchester, Britain - November 13, 2023 Manchester United CEO & director Richard Arnold arrives at Manchester Cathedral REUTERS/Phil Noble Acquire Licensing RightsCompanies Manchester United PLC FollowNov 15 (Reuters) - Manchester United (MANU.N) CEO Richard Arnold will step down, the Premier League club said on Wednesday, ahead of the club's reported stake sale to British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. General counsel and board director Patrick Stewart, who has been with the club for over 17 years, will be become interim CEO. Patrick Stewart's appointment as interim CEO would allow United's new joint owners to identify the right long-term candidate to run the club, Sky News reported, citing one source. Manchester United did not immediately respond to a Reuters' request for comment on the rationale. Arnold will provide "transitional support" until the end of December, the club said, and they will start looking for a permanent CEO, United said in a statement.

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Persons: Bobby Charlton, Richard Arnold, Phil Noble, Jim Ratcliffe, Patrick Stewart, Glazer, Arnold, Ed Woodward, Erik ten Hag, Ratcliffe, Patrick Stewart's, United, Yadarisa, Shinjini Ganguli, Bhattacharjee Organizations: Soccer, Manchester United, Manchester Cathedral, Manchester Cathedral REUTERS, Rights Companies Manchester United, Premier League, Reuters, Sky News, Thomson Locations: England, Manchester, Britain, United, Bengaluru