Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal for 25% of Manchester United will not be ratified until the end of February, but the INEOS billionaire wants to make his commitment to the club’s fans clear.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to distance himself from the Glazer family, making it clear he will not be an absentee owner of Manchester United.
Ratcliffe is still awaiting formal approval for his £1.3bn deal, which will see him buy 25 per cent of United. But the new era has already begun at the club, with Sir Dave Brailsford seen in the stands for the last three games after the club officially announced the INEOS deal on Christmas Eve.
The INEOS founder and chairman is now set to join Brailsford in the stands for United’s next game, against Tottenham at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday. The Daily Mail says he intends to be a far more visible presence than the Glazers, who have rarely attended games since buying the club in 2005.
Ratcliffe grew up in Failsworth, Greater Manchester and is a United supporter. As well as wanting to turn the club’s fortunes around, he also wants to present himself better than the deeply unpopular Glazers.
Avram Glazer has not featured in a United game since the Carabao Cup final win over Newcastle at Wembley last February. His brother Joel, meanwhile, has not visited Old Trafford since the Champions League quarter-final defeat to Barcelona almost five years ago.
INEOS Brailsford sporting director and chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc will be the 71-year-old’s right-hand man but will continue to be heavily involved in decision-making. He spent three days meeting United staff last week and had extensive talks with manager Erik ten Haag. Although the deal is not expected to be ratified until the end of February, INEOS is already planning major changes behind the scenes.
Ratcliffe believes United are under-performing on and off the pitch and gave his mission statement in a statement last month. He said: “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 puts us in charge of the football operations of the club.
“While the club’s commercial success has ensured that funds have always been available to win trophies at the highest level, that 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 further improve the club, while providing funds earmarked to enable future investment at Old Trafford.
TNT Sports gives you access to matches across the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, Serie A and more. You can also watch the biggest fights in boxing, UFC, WWE and exclusive action from MLB with one payment every month. You can watch TNT Sports via BT, EE, Sky and Virgin Media.
£29.99 a month and get access to Discovery+ Premium at no extra cost
TNT Sports
“We are here for the long term and recognize that there are many challenges and hard work ahead of us, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion. We are committed to working with everyone at the club – the board, staff, players and fans – to help the club move forward.
“Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the pinnacle of English, European and world football.”
Join our new WhatsApp community! click this link to get your daily dose Mirror Football content. We also offer our community members special offers, promotions and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you want. If you are curious, you can read ours Privacy notice.