Sir Jim Ratcliffe may have already hinted at what Man United fans can expect after he completed his 25 per cent purchase of the club, having outlined how he would run a football club when he attempted to buy Chelsea last year.
On Christmas Eve, Man United confirmed the billionaire Ineos owner had secured a stake in the Red Devils after sealing a deal with the Glazer family.
The deal will see Ratcliffe take control of football operations at Old Trafford.
‘As a local boy and a lifelong supporter, 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,’ Ratcliffe said.
‘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.
British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe has secured a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United
Ratcliffe tabled a bid for Chelsea in May 2022 but was beaten to it by American Todd Boehly
‘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 recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion.’
And United fans have already been given an insight into how Ratcliffe would operate the club, when he insisted he would not view the Chelsea as a ‘financial asset’ when he sought to take over the Blues.
Ratcliffe said: ‘No, we’re not interested in making money out of Chelsea. Can we run that club really, really well and turn it into one of the finest clubs in Europe? That’s our ambition with Chelsea.
‘We make lots of money in chemicals, we don’t need to make money out of (Chelsea). We don’t think of it as a financial asset.’
Ratcliffe, who has an estimated net worth of £12bn, initially wanted to purchase Man United outright, before opting to pursue a minority stake.
Ratcliffe’s comments about buying Chelsea give an insight into how he may run Man United
The Glazer family remain the majority shareholders in Man United following the deal
Ratcliffe already has experience at the helm of a top football club, with Team Ineos completing their €100million (£85million) takeover of OGC Nice in 2019.
The French side have had steady progress under Ratcliffe’s ownership, with the Ligue 1 side currently second in the table behind champions PSG.
The English businessman also proved he has an eye for talent having secured the services of manager Christophe Galtier, just a year before the Frenchman was snapped up by PSG.
The 71-year-old tried to purchase Chelsea last year but saw his late bid turned down as current owner Todd Boehly and his consortium took ownership of the London club.
Ratcliffe tabled a last-minute £4.25billion offer to purchase the Stamford Bridge side in May 2022, before setting his sights on becoming Manchester United owner.
United fans have already been given an insight into how Ratcliffe would operate the club
Ratcliffe proved his eye for talent by snapping up Christophe Galtier before his move to PSG
The current ownership model at the club sees the majority of control lie with the Glazer family, with Avram and Joel Glazer the main representatives.
They purchased in the club in 2005, and despite coming in for swathes of criticism since their takeover, have recently felt the growing discontent increase after being publicly slammed by supporters, pundits, and former players with the club in disarray after years of poor management and recruitment.
While they did not plan to walk away entirely, the Glazers were prepared to sell minority shares at Old Trafford.
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