Sir Jim Ratcliffe has issued a warning about the possibility that Manchester United could attempt to attract big-name players like Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham.
With his new minority purchase of United, the chairman of Ineos is assuming charge of football operations and hopes to restore the team to its former glory.
But he thinks that investing heavily in high-profile signings is not the best path to success.
Asking whether he would try to recruit England star Bellingham, the 71-year-old guested on Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast.
“He is a great footballer,” he retorted. Our attention is not on it, and investing a large sum of money in a select few outstanding players is not the answer. They have achieved that; if you examine the previous ten years, they have invested a substantial sum of money in a few outstanding players.
“Getting the appropriate people in the right positions to manage and organize the club is the first thing we need to accomplish.
“And make sure we get recruitment right; it’s a really important aspect of modern football.”
Later in the podcast, he expressed his preference to sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune purchasing success when given the option to sign cyclist Tadej Pogacar for his Ineos team or Mbappe for United.
It isn’t very astute to purchase Mbappe. That one may be figured out by anyone. The more difficult task is identifying the next Roy Keane, Bellingham, or Mbappe.
At United, Radcliffe continues to work with his longtime right-hand man, Dave Brailsford, as Omar Berrada takes over as CEO.
Furthermore, he warned that rebuilding United’s greatness would take a “longer road.”
“Dave and I are the ones who are most focused on finding a solution for everything,” he continued.
“Omar Berrada, our new CEO from Manchester City, who is currently on gardening leave, will undoubtedly play a significant role. But, in reality, it’s just Dave and me.
“With Manchester United, you have to think that the outcomes will be atrocious if we get every detail right—all the right players in the right positions, performing the right actions in the right settings.
“As we have made quite clear, such things are not appropriate at Manchester United right now. Because there are so many facets to it, it’s not like flipping on a light switch; rather, it’s a much longer path.
