A body language consultant formerly hired by Manchester United has hit back at Sir Jim Ratcliffe and explained why she was worth her £175,000-per-year wage, after the minority owner used her position to highlight excesses at the club.
Ratcliffe in March addressed the widespread redundancies he has overseen at Man United, since buying a stake in the club in December 2023.
An initial round of redundancies saw 250 staff members leave the club last year, with another 200 now expected to depart.
Speaking to the Times in March, Ratcliffe revealed they ‘found out we even had a body language consultant on £175,000 a year’, as he justified the cuts.
Kirsten Heukels, the body language expert, has hit back at Ratcliffe in an interview with the Athletic.
Kirsten Heukels, Man United’s former body language expert, defended her salary at the club
Sir Jim Ratcliffe had highlighted her apparent £175,000 a year salary as he justified job cuts
Heukels has revealed she was hired to help improve Man United’s record in penalty shoot-outs
The consultant has worked in hostage-crisis negotiations and owns a company 1for2 Social Innovation, which specialises in profiling, external confidential counseling, mediation, and training.
Heukels confirmed she had been hired to help Man United to assist their goalkeepers and penalty takers between February 2023 and May 2024.
The consultant was hired during Erik ten Hag’s reign as Man United boss, with the aim of improving their shootout record having won one of their previous six before her appointment.
‘I look at how they are walking up to the spot,’ Heukels told the Athletic. ‘How their face is holding itself, because you can think you’re looking cool but your face will tell me more and you will leak it all.
‘I will look at body language and their interaction with the goalkeeper — whether they are looking at him or not.’
Heukels added that she worked with both outfield players and goalkeepers, while offering insight to Ten Hag’s coaching team.
She also defended her role following Ratcliffe’s criticism and claimed Ten Hag and his coaching team had been bold by appointing her as a consultant.
‘I believe it was a courageous thing that the team did back then. And I’m proud of what we achieved,’ Heukels said.
Man United beat Coventry on penalties last season on route to winning the FA Cup
Heukels said she put Diogo Dalot forward as a penalty taker, with the full back scoring four times since
Heukels praised Erik ten Hag for being ‘courageous’ in appointing her to help improve their penalties
‘The achievements are in the data, so they are proven. I don’t need to explain that to anybody.
‘I don’t know enough about him or United today because I’m not involved, but it’s always dangerous to talk about your predecessors this way.’
She claimed she had put forward defender Diogo Dalot as a potential penalty taker having analysed him in training.
Man United won penalty shoot-outs in consecutive FA Cup semi-finals, beating Brighton in 2023 and Coventry in 2024.
Dalot took the second penalty in Man United’s 7-6 penalty shoot-out triumph against Brighton and revealed how the squad had all been practicing penalties for months to prepare for such an occasion.
‘Since the start of pre-season, we have been trying to train penalties, everyone,’ Dalot said post-match.
‘I think this was a feeling that the time would come one day and we had to be ready. And I think everybody showed quality, some character under pressure.
‘Because it is difficult. Because behind were the Brighton fans screaming at you, you had to focus. So we showed personality and I am really happy with everyone that we scored the penalties and we are in the final.’
Dalot has scored in all four shoot-outs Man United have had after Heukels’ appointment,
Man United ultimately scooped £1million for finishing as FA Cup runners-up in 2023, before claiming £2m for their triumph in the 2024 final.
The success also led to Man United qualifying for this season’s Europa League, with their prize money boosted further by reaching this season’s final.
