Sir Jim Ratcliffe once pointed to Mikel Arteta’s progress at Arsenal, and the Gunners have now reached the Champions League final under the Spaniard.
During Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s short time as a co-owner at Manchester United, he has already pulled the trigger and sacked Ruben Amorim this season, as well as previously dismissing Erik ten Hag.
While Ineos have a long-term plan that they are working towards at Old Trafford, their managerial decisions suggest otherwise.
Now, it seems Michael Carrick is favourite for the United job in the summer, and Ratcliffe must look back at his own comments when deciding how long his contract should be.
Michael Carrick has now beaten Liverpool, City, Arsenal, Villa, and Chelsea – Do you want him to be the permanent manager?
What did he get right (and wrong) vs Liverpool?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe must believe in ‘three years’ Mikel Arteta comments
Back in October, Ratcliffe defended Amorim publicly and said he wanted to give the Portuguese head coach “three years” to prove himself at Old Trafford.
Just three months later, Amorim was sacked.
Ratcliffe pointed towards Arteta’s development at Arsenal as a blueprint for his decision making.
“Football is not overnight,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s three years. You also look at Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time over the first couple of years.
“We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn’t a light switch. You can’t run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week.”
Arteta, now in his seventh year at Arsenal, is proving that long-term trust can work. The Gunners are top of the Premier League table and into the Champions League final after beating Atletico Madrid this week.
After a dramatic start to 2026, what is your message to Sir Jim Ratcliffe?
Sir Jim Ratcliffe must put long-term trust in Michael Carrick
If Carrick is Ineos’ choice of head coach this summer (and it seems likely), then Ratcliffe must not stray away from his comments earlier this season.
There is no point in making decisions for the short term. If Carrick is United’s head coach, then Ineos should plan for him to be there in the long term.
Ineos want to win the Premier League by 2028 and that will require stability and consistency behind the scenes to achieve.
Carrick has proven he can beat elite managers, and no Premier League boss has picked up more points since he was appointed as interim.
Ratcliffe must put his reputation on the line and trust Carrick with at least three years in the job, like he said himself.
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