It’s not even a fortnight since Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stake in Manchester United was confirmed by the club and the billionaire investor is already fast making his presence felt at the once austere club.
Ratcliffe has been quick of the cuff letting Manchester United’s staff know exactly how he feels about the club’s current topsy-turvy state of affairs on and off the pitch, as he has been convening meetings to address ‘unacceptable’ standards while communicating to them what his expectations are.
Ratcliffe now has a 25 percent stake – worth an estimated £1.3billion – of Manchester United. The Glazer family will stay on as owners while Ratcliffe will assume full control over footballing matters.
Manager Erik ten Hag had an eyeball-to-eyeball meeting of his own with Ratcliffe, and shed some light on the experience during a press conference ahead of United’s FA Cup third round game against Wigan Athletic. The beleaguered Dutchman was also not the only individual to meet with the British tycoon.
According to The Mail, Ratcliffe and his right hand man Sir Dave Brailsford were quick to stress the message that recent results have not been acceptable for a club of United’s stature. United finished third last season, losing nine of their 38 league games, but have already lost nine of 20 matches in the competition this season.
The Old Trafford club fared even worse in Europe, with Ten Hag’s men picking up just one win in six group games to be dumped from the Champions League. Brailsford reportedly did most of the talking during the meetings with staff, with Ten Hag reportedly attending one of the meetings, apart from his own one-to-one with the INEOS top brass.
Referencing his own status as a United fan throughout the bidding process, Ratcliffe insisted to the staff that making money from his investment is not a priority, according to the Athletic. ON the contrary, he has set his sights on returning the club to its past glories.
“As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the Club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United Board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the Club.
“Whilst the commercial success of the Club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
“We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the Club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford. We are here for the long term and recognize that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigor, professionalism and passion.
“We are committed to working with everyone at the Club – the Board, staff, players and fans – to help drive the Club forward. Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football.”