Manchester United new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe granted his first press interview after his £1.3bn stake for 27.77% of Manchester United was passed by all relevant football governing groups.
The highly-sought media parley saw the billionaire football investor laid bare his masterplan for the transformation of Manchester United into an English and European football powerhouse.
LCSoccerHub takes a look at three critical talking points highlighted by the football and petrochemical mogul.
Manchester United chances in Europe
An index of Manchester United’s dwindling fortunes has been their inconsistency on the European scene recently. Since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United have only qualified for the Champions League quarterfinal once. Since then, it has been a tale of misfortunes. They have either crashed out of the group stage or exited the tournament in round 16. In some extreme cases, they will miss out from qualifying for the competition.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s signature achievement with United will be to return the team to Europe, and not only as a number but as a top-level competitor at par with top teams in the continent. However, he will face a hurdle with UEFA due to his double ownership of Manchester United and Nice in French Ligue 1.
UEFA statutes prohibit two clubs with the same owner from playing in the same UEFA competition. This means if Manchester United and Nice qualify for the Champions League in their respective leagues, one team will forfeit its slot for the other.
Addressing this issue, Sir Jim Ratcliffe stated he will contact UEFA for a resolution.
Mason Greenwood’s possible Manchester United return
Mason Greenwood’s Manchester United future was another key subject explored by Sir Jim Ratcliffe. Greenwood was loaned to Getafe in LaLiga after being cleared of allegations of rape and assault by United’s investigation panel. The club were poised to reintegrate Greenwood back into the squad, as per the Sun, but made a U-turn loaning the winger away after protests.
According to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, he will take a new decision on Mason Greenwood, examining the facts not the hype with a possible reintegration of the player on the cards.
Manchester United style of play and Erik ten Hag’s future
Sir Jim Ratcliffe also stated that he will be actively involved in deciding Manchester United’s style of play – a topic that touched down the future of the players and Erik ten Hag’s future as well. According to him, he will be in contact with the club’s CEO, sporting director, recruitment and technical officers, to decide the style of play. The manager will be mandated to play that kind of football.
Erik ten Hag is known for his deep press style of play, building possession from the back and charging forward. The Dutch is more likely to see through his contract with Manchester United which expires after next season in 2025. Whether his contract will be renewed or not will depend on his ability to adapt to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s set template for United’s style of play.
