Jim Ratcliffe intends to take the Red Devils back to the top (Picture: Getty Images)
Manchester United’s new co-owner Jim Ratcliffe intends to bridge the gap between fierce rivals manchester City and Liverpool, believing it can be done in just ‘two to three seasons.’
The 71-year-old has bought a 27.7 per cent stake in the club and he, along with Ineos director of sport Dave Brailsford, will be running football operations.
Sweeping changes are coming in key roles, bringing in Omar Berrada from Manchester City as chief executive and Dan Ashworth expected to arrive from Newcastle as sporting director and more new faces to come to help improve recruitment and planning.
Ratcliffe is hoping the new regime can quickly improve the Red Devils’ fate on the pitch, although he does admit the likes of City and Liverpool are a long way ahead of them right now.
‘When Manchester City played Real Madrid at home and won 4-0 last season [in the Champions League semi-finals], that was the best football I have ever seen. If we can ever get to that point, it would be a great achievement,’ Ratcliffe told the BBC.
‘In the north west we have two neighbours who are really impressive football clubs. I want to knock them all off their perch. We are friends in the sense we’re all in the north west but they are our biggest enemies. They are clearly our biggest competitors in the UK.’
Despite the gap between the Red Devils and their rivals, Ratcliffe reckons it won’t be long until they can start matching them.
‘[We are] a long way behind. It’s not going to change tomorrow,’ he said. ‘People unfortunately need to give us time to get back.
Jim Ratcliffe and manager Erik Ten Hag have already met at Carrington (Picture: Getty Images)
‘It will be two to three seasons. Patience is needed. Spending money lavishly in the summer is not the solution, it is much more complicated than that.’
Ratcliffe has previously pointed out that the structures the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool have in place behind the scenes can be learned from, especially as United are looking for some of the stability and success they have achieved in recent years.
‘They have been in a good place for a while and there are things we can learn from both of them,’ he said. ‘They have sensible organisations, great people within the organisations, a good, driven and elite environment that they work in. I am very respectful of them but they are still the enemy.’
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