21 February 2024 , 15:49
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has outlined his grand plan for Manchester United after finally seeing his takeover ratified.
Although he has only bought a 27.7 per cent stake in the club, petrochemicals billionaire Ratcliffe has taken over sporting control of United from the Glazer family. Changes are already underway, with Omar Berrada hired from Manchester City to become the new chief executive after Richard Arnold stepped down.
United are now chasing Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth to become their sporting director and are also keen to hire Southampton's Jason Wilcox in a role underneath him. It has previously been reported that INEOS could cut up to 300 jobs at the club to save costs.
Erik ten Hag has overseen a run of four straight wins in the Premier League to strengthen his position at a crucial time. But the United manager knows he is under increased scrutiny now that INEOS is in town – and Ratcliffe has explained his vision in an interview with Belgian newspaper De Tijd.
“We have to look at the organisation of the club because it is not good at the moment,” he said. “Take the head coach, for example, he must report directly to the CEO. That is no longer possible in a modern football organisation.
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“We have to ensure that the right people end up in the right positions. Every person in management must be world-class. And then it is important to create a positive, supportive, friendly and high-quality environment. That culture was missing before. Only in such an environment can you get the best out of sportsmen. If successful, the results will follow automatically. That's the plan and I believe in it.”
Erik ten Hag is under increased scrutiny now Sir Jim Ratcliffe is in charge (Manchester United/Manchester United via Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Do you think Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival will spark improvements at Manchester United? Comment below.
Ratcliffe already owns French club Nice and Swiss side Lausanne and has a one-third share in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team. And his reputation as a ruthless decision-maker precedes him, as explained by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in October: “This is a no bull**** organisation. They are huge in terms of revenue and profit. Decisions are being made quickly – three bullet points on a page and ‘here we go’.”
The 71-year-old may be a boyhood United fan, but he has not tried to hide his reasons behind buying into the club. He has previously slammed United for spending “dumb money” on players and specifically mentioned the £70million deal for Casemiro as an example of the bad kind of business he wouldn’t sanction.
Speaking after the completion was announced on Tuesday evening, Ratcliffe said: "To become co-owner of Manchester United is a great honour and comes with great responsibility. This marks the completion of the transaction, but just the beginning of our journey to take Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football, with world-class facilities for our fans. Work to achieve those objectives will accelerate from today.”
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