Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made his position clear about his future after he completed his minority stake purchase of Manchester United in 2023.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner of the Premier League club and his Ineos organisation took control of football operations as part of the deal.
The 71-year-old billionaire splashed out a hefty £1.03bn to buy an initial 25 per cent stake in Manchester United, with the deal announced on Christmas Eve in 2023.
Ratcliffe has also pledged to invest a further £236m into the redevelopment of Old Trafford, with the United co-owner keen to create a ‘Wembley of the North.’
The British billionaire has retained United manager Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford after Ineos completed an end-of-season review following the 2024 FA Cup final.
Ratcliffe has brought about a shake-up to United, including the appointment of Omar Berrada, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox in key behind-the-scenes roles.
Ratcliffe’s message is what Man Utd fans want
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reiterated his desire to see Manchester United climb back to the top of English football under his reign at Old Trafford.
The Red Devils have struggled to challenge for a Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson last led the club to the trophy in the 2012-13 season.
Ratcliffe has admitted that he is keen to knock both Liverpool and Manchester City “off their perch” as part of his bid to revitalise the Red Devils.
The Ineos chief has already made it clear that there is a “three-year plan” for United to start their ambitious ascent back to the top of English football.
Speaking to The Times, Ratcliffe has made it clear his future is dedicated to United after insisting that retirement is off the table for now.
“What you don’t want to do — not me anyway — is settle down in an armchair and say goodbye to life,” he told the newspaper.
“I don’t want to get to that point. I enjoy life as it is at the moment.”
Ratcliffe on Man Utd co-owners the Glazers
Sir Jim Ratcliffe made his feelings clear on Erik ten Hag during the interview, with the United co-owner also expressing his frustrations with the club’s struggles.
However, the Ineos chief opened up about his relationship with the controversial Glazers family and his past handlings with United’s majority owners.
“I think we tried and tried many, many different permutations to do a transaction with the Glazer family, and for one reason or another [each] had their challenges or obstacles so in the end we did the deal that we could do,” Ratcliffe said.
“At the end of the day, in my view, the key thing is to just have a good relationship with the other owners, which are the Glazer family — the six siblings. You know, they’re really good people. And they are passionate about the club.
“The key is not the legal agreements. The key is that we have common objectives, which are to see Manchester United be successful, and that we trust each other.”
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