Manchester United’s new co-owner, Jim Ratcliffe, has said the team must learn from rivals Manchester City and Liverpool, recognizing them as “enemies” in the football arena.
Ratcliffe, 71, recently acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in the club through his company INEOS with plans to revive the team’s former glory.
The English giants, once under the legendary management of Alex Ferguson, have faced a decline since his retirement in 2013. Meanwhile, City and Liverpool dominate English football, with Liverpool looking to equal United’s record 20 English top-flight titles this season. and City are aiming for an unprecedented fourth consecutive top-flight title.
Ratcliffe, a self-proclaimed United fan, echoed Ferguson’s iconic lines about the rivals, referring to City as “noisy neighbours” and expressing a desire to “knock them both off their perch”. Despite viewing City and Liverpool as rivals, Ratcliffe recognized the valuable lessons United could learn from their well-organised structures, managed environments and successful organisations.
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Ratcliffe has taken steps to restructure off the pitch, bringing in City’s Omar Berrada as the new chief executive and working to secure Newcastle’s Dan Ashworth as sporting director.
But he stressed the need for patience, saying the transformation will take two to three seasons, not an overnight change.
Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, stressed that his investment was not financially motivated, saying he was already making “enough money in chemicals, oil and gas”.
Looking ahead, he outlined plans to either redevelop Old Trafford or build a new stadium, admitting that the current 74,000-seat venue has “fallen behind” compared to other leading clubs over the past two decades. Despite the challenges, Ratcliffe has promised fans a dedicated three-year plan to return United to the top of English and European football.
