Sir Jim Ratcliffe has many issues to address at Manchester United, but where does he start?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford to watch Manchester United’s draw with Tottenham on Sunday, and beforehand he had a brief chat with journalists in the media room.
The new co-owner is set to take over sporting matters at the club once his £1.3 billion investment is ratified by the Premier League. He will be flanked by Sir Dave Brailsford and former Juventus chief Jean-Claude Blanc.
A number of topics will be on his agenda, with transfers no doubt high on the agenda. But the recruitment room is not the only area of the club that needs improving. Old Trafford and Carrington are both in need of upgrading, with United now behind the curve in terms of infrastructure. Ratcliffe has pledged to invest $300 million (£257 million) into that throughout 2024.
Samuel Luckhurst
Knocking down Old Trafford. United has to do that for a symbolic gesture, as well as the logistics. Old Trafford has a large footprint, and there have been discussions about ‘rotating’ a rebuilt stadium so they would have greater scope to expand.
When we asked Ratcliffe what his first impressions were, he hesitated and preferred not to comment. He must take a dim view of a stadium that was, until the Glazer era, the best-in-class in Europe but will not even host European Championship matches in 2028.
Symbolically, United has been a club beyond repair over the past decade. The MEN opted for a cracked stadium, never mind a cracked badge, a couple of seasons ago. A new Old Trafford would signal a new era better than any marquee signing.
Tyrone Marshall
Ratcliffe should have come away from his first game as a minority owner at United wondering exactly what the team he has a 25% stake in was trying to do. The difference between the structure and plan of Tottenham compared to United was stark. Yes, there have been countless injuries this season, but this currently looks like a team without an identity, and that is Erik ten Hag.
The January window is going to be quiet, so Ratcliffe’s biggest priority now is to assess whether he has the right man in charge. If he’s not, then change has to come in time for the summer, rather than wasting the lead-up to the transfer window looking for a new manager. It’s a case of back him or sack him, and Ten Hag needs to bring about improvement in this team if it’s to be the former.
Steven Railston
Gary Neville spoke at my old university in June and I asked him the exact question this article is based on. He responded by suggesting there doesn’t have to be a single priority and you can look at things simultaneously.
He was right, of course, but for the sake of this piece, addressing the future of Ten Hag must come first because the team has regressed and tactical concerns have become impossible to ignore.
United is underperforming, and there is no distinguishable style of play, despite Ten Hag having been at the club for 18 months and spending over £ 400 million during that period. He does not feel like INEOS’ man, and a new manager, working under a new sporting director, seems inevitable by the time the next season begins.
