Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned Manchester United fans to temper expectations after sending a clear-cut message about the “problems” at the club.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos team took control of football operations at Old Trafford after the British billionaire acquired a minority stake in Manchester United.
Ineos have already made a key decision to retain United manager Erik ten Hag for the 2024-25 campaign after completing their end-of-season review.
Erik ten Hag is under contract with United until 2025 and it is believed that the Red Devils will negotiate a new deal with the former Ajax manager.
Ratcliffe and Ineos have implemented changes behind the scenes at Old Trafford, including a shake-up of the Premier League club’s hierarchy.
Omar Berrada has been announced as United chief executive, while Jason Wilcox has become a technical director and Jean-Claude Blanc sits on the club’s board.
Former Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth remains a key target, despite United refusing to meet the £15m plus add-ons to release him from his contract.
Ratcliffe sends message to Man Utd fans
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his Ineos team are expected to reinforce Erik ten Hag’s first-team squad in their first summer transfer window at Manchester United.
Ten Hag endured a tough second season in charge at Old Trafford and the Dutchman’s first-team squad was ravaged by injuries last season.
United are expected to clear out several players from the squad this summer, with the likes of Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane set to leave the club.
The Red Devils also confirmed that they want to keep the likes of Jonny Evans and Tom Heaton and have offered new deals as part of the negotiations at the club.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Ratcliffe warned United fans that Ineos would not “solve all the problems” at the club in their first summer transfer window alone.
“I’m not confident that we’ll solve all the problems in the first transfer window,” he said.
Ratcliffe on Man Utd being ‘handicapped’
Omar Berrada won’t take on his new role of CEO at United until 13th July, while Dan Ashworth’s future remains uncertain amid Newcastle’s contract situation.
Technical director Jason Wilcox is only one of three influential figures who Ineos currently have at the club during the summer window.
Ratcliffe admitted that United are “sort of a bit handicapped” with their current situation and feels the club need at least “two or three summer windows.”
“We’re sort of a bit handicapped in that sense, so I think we’ll do a fairly good job,” he said.
“It will take two or three summer windows to get to a better place.”