It’s not quite a new era at Manchester United with the Glazers giving up only partial control. But it is still reasonable for Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment, when it arrives, to spark fresh hope among fans. Here are five things the more realistic might expect in five years…This has to be the top priority. Ratcliffe still wants full control and it seems the Glazers will be weaned from United’s teat over time.
Any organisation’s culture comes from the people within it – and five years is plenty of time to get the best people in the key roles. There is already plenty of speculation over who Ratcliffe might bring to Old Trafford from his past or his other interests. But it almost doesn’t matter if, in five years’ time, the Glazers still have minions like Richard Arnold protecting their interests over the club’s.
United apparently feel that improvements behind the scenes have moved at a fast pace in the last year or two but those are yet to bear fruit on the pitch. Ratcliffe and his people will no doubt conduct their own audit and once complete, it seems unfathomable that they would decide to retain the status quo.
We have seen it in the way the many managers since Sir Alex Ferguson have almost all been scapegoated by the squad and some are seemingly already trying it on with Erik ten Hag. These players and those who follow them must feel part of project worth buying into. Beyond that, though, it’s time to fit in or f*** off.
United have tried signing superstars and look where it has got them. More than cash, it takes more nous to build a winning squad, as well as time and patience. But five years is long enough for United to re-establish their elite credentials – as long as the first two or three points here aren’t ignored.Old Trafford, one of the most renowned sporting arenas in the world, has become a relic and a symbol of the Glazers’ disinterest.