Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has opened up on the challenges the club faces on and off the pitch in a recent interview with Bloomberg. The richest man in Britain admitted that it would take two to three seasons to turn things around at the club, pointing out that there are no players worth €100 million or more at the club.
He pointed out that adding a few big-money signings to the team would not change much, which is certainly true. While United won the FA Cup to end their season on a high, they finished eighth in the Premier League, their worst in history, and the management is aware that things need to change around the club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe offers honest assessment on Manchester United’s problems on and off the pitch
🔴 Sir Jim Ratcliffe: “There's room for improvement everywhere we look at Man United, we will improve everything”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 20, 2024
“We want to be where Real Madrid is today, but it'll take time”.
👀 “It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place”, told @Bloomberg. pic.twitter.com/zM9SgWnCgG
Ratcliffe also revealed that the club has more accountants than sporting employees, lamenting the plethora of regulations that the Premier League has started implementing.
United’s recent big-money signings have all come under fire after failing to perform, such as Antony and Jadon Sancho. The attitude of the players and the environment at Old Trafford has also been criticised by fans and pundits, suggesting a deeper clean-up is needed to really change things.
The board also needs to invest in renovating the stadium and developing a sustainable transfer policy to achieve their ambition of competing with Real Madrid, as mentioned by Ratcliffe.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe kept it honest 👀 pic.twitter.com/KLP2Sl0qjo
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) June 20, 2024
The timeline of two to three summers might be a bit too ambitious considering the sheer magnitude of changes needed. However, it’s a positive sign that Ratcliffe has finally started addressing these issues at the club after acquiring a stake from the Glazers.
How much is Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s stake in Manchester United?
27.7%
