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The new minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has expressed to Manchester United fan groups that his goal is to assist the club in reclaiming its top position, rather than solely seeking profit.
On Christmas Eve, it was announced that after a long and frustrating 13-month process, the Ineos chairman had reached an agreement to purchase a 25% share from the Glazer family.
According to Ratcliffe, he will take over football operations at the Premier League team as part of an agreement that he anticipates will be finalized by the middle of February.
The 71-year-old observed the 2-2 tie between Manchester United and Tottenham in the Premier League on Sunday at Old Trafford. The next day, he came back to meet with fan representatives and community leaders.
Ratcliffe had a meeting with the Fans’ Advisory Board and representatives from the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST), followed by a video conference with the wider Fans’ Forum.
According to MUST, the main point conveyed was the need for United to prioritize creating successful teams on the field, which we believe is a sentiment shared by all fans.
He also stated that he sees our club as a valuable part of the community and emphasized that his intention in investing in United is not to generate profit.
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“We presented our ideas to Sir Jim regarding the most important objectives: a well-defined strategy to return to the top, establishing a football system with the appropriate individuals in suitable positions; a financial plan for both the teams and the stadium; and creating an authentic and robust alliance with supporters to foster success.”
We are looking forward to continuing the conversation with Sir Jim and his team in the future.
“We all know the journey back for our club is not a short one – and the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. But most fans agree that the signals Ineos has sent in the last few weeks are encouraging.”
The discussion with MUST went on for over an hour, with Ratcliffe being accompanied by Sir Dave Brailsford, the sport director at Ineos, Jean Claude Blanc, the chief executive of Ineos Sport, and high-ranking representatives from United.
Some subjects were not up for discussion while waiting for approval of the deal, but MUST believed he was being as transparent as possible within those regulations.
The trust’s chair JD Deitch posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it was a good meeting and that Ratcliffe’s team “get it” but “proof will be action, not words”.
A spokesperson for a fan present at the meeting informed the PA news agency that Ineos emphasized the importance of addressing on-field issues during “highly constructive conversations”.
It was believed that Ratcliffe’s team would be well-prepared to get started quickly once the deal is approved, as Ineos has identified player trading as an area in need of enhancement.
The fan representative stated that the general consensus in all the meetings was that it was incredibly remarkable and unprecedented for the owner of Manchester United to dedicate so much of their time.
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“In just one day, there was more involvement from fans than the Glazers have achieved in the past 20 years. This is an undeniable reality.”
I believe this is not a coincidence. It is a strong indication of a shift in the club’s direction and I have the impression that they are not delaying the completion of the agreement.
It seems like the work has already begun.
Following conversations with fan ambassadors, Ratcliffe and his group held meetings with various community leaders to explore United’s involvement in the area and potential plans for Old Trafford.
Some of the people present included top officials from Trafford Council and Greater Manchester Combined Authority, such as mayor Andy Burnham.
United recently revealed that full-back Alvaro Fernandez will be on loan to Benfica for the rest of the season.
Source: independent.co.uk
