Barcelona legend Gerard Pique has insisted that Sir Jim Ratcliffe cannot overlook “one of the objectives” that Manchester United will need to work towards in the future.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became co-owner of Manchester United after the Ineos chief completed a minority stake purchase in the Premier League club.
The 71-year-old British billionaire has seen his Ineos team assume control of football operations at Old Trafford as part of his agreement to become co-owner.
Ratcliffe has openly spoken about his desire to see United return to the top of English football, including knocking Manchester City and Liverpool ‘off their perch.’
The United co-owner has also expressed the need for the Red Devils to regenerate Old Trafford and his desire to build a ‘Wembley of the North.’
Since Ineos’ arrival at Old Trafford, United have made changes behind the scenes with key figures coming to the club, including Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox.
Jason Wilcox has become technical director at the Premier League club, while Omar Berrada will leave Manchester City and become United’s chief executive officer.
Pique on Erik ten Hag and Man Utd
Gerard Pique, who played under Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has insisted that Erik ten Hag’s future at Old Trafford must be settled.
Erik ten Hag is under contract with United until 2025, but the Dutchman’s long-term future at the club has been plunged into doubt after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival.
The Dutchman endured a tough second season in charge at the Red Devils, with United finishing eighth in the Premier League table.
However, Ten Hag captured his second piece of major silverware last week after United’s sensational 2-1 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley.
United have been linked with several managers since Ineos took control of football operations at the Premier League club.
Speaking on talkSPORT, Pique argued that Ratcliffe and Ineos “need to make the decision” on whether or not to retain Ten Hag’s services for next season.
“I think that the board of United really needs to understand what they want for the club in the next few years and really if they believe in Ten Hag or not,” he said, as per the Manchester Evening News.
“They need to make the decision. Well, it’s tough to say really [if he should leave or not] because it’s true that they won the cup.”
Pique outlines key objective for Man Utd
United’s dominance over English football came to an end in 2013 after legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson called it time on his legendary career.
Ferguson led United to all 13 of the club’s Premier League trophies, with the Red Devils’ last title success coming at the end of the 2012-13 season.
Pique, who lifted a Premier League and a Champions League under Ferguson, has insisted that challenging for the league title must be an objective for the Red Devils.
“At the same time, it’s also true that they are not fighting for the Premier League, which I think at some point has to be one of the objectives of Manchester United,” he said.
Ratcliffe previously suggested that a “three-year plan” would be more than enough time for United to start challenging for a Premier League title.
“The fans would run out of patience if it was a 10-year plan,” he said in February.
“But it’s certainly a three-year plan to get there. To think that we’re going to be playing football as good as Manchester City played against Real Madrid last year by next season is not sensible.
“And if we give people false expectations, then they will get disappointed. So, I think the key thing is our trajectory, so that people can see that we’re making progress. Because it’s not easy to turn Manchester United into the world’s best football team.”
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