It would be wrong to suggest Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is afraid of a challenge.
He made the decision to come aboard a ship last February that had lost its way and was sinking fast. He paid more than £1billion to secure a stake initially worth just 27.7 per cent.
Growing up on a council estate in Manchester, Ratcliffe came from nothing, working hard to make his fortune. He will have taken risks throughout his career to generate his personal wealth and find himself in the position he is today.
However, investing in a football club is not a money-making business. Owners up and down the country lose millions every year, with the consequences ranging from further financial penalties to being constantly criticised.
No club in England demands success more than United. They last won the Premier League title 12 years ago and they are now further away from winning it again than they ever have been before, currently sitting 13th in the table with nine games left to play.
Other than fighting for the Europa League, United’s season is dead in the water. Their remaining league fixtures offer them nothing other than an opportunity to try and restore some pride and attempt to plan for the future.
United have seen flashes of what the future could look like in recent weeks with the likes of Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi making their first-team debuts. Harry Amass also ended his wait for a long overdue debut at the King Power Stadium on Sunday night.
United pride themselves on developing young talent and finding places for them in the first-team. Heaven’s first four appearances mean his place might already be nailed down.
United swooped for the 18-year-old towards the end of the January transfer window, bringing him in from Arsenal after the two clubs agreed a compensation package understood to be worth not much more than £1million. That £1m is already looking like money well spent.
Ahead of a summer where United are going to have pay £89m in transfer fees that are owed on players they have signed in previous years, the club is going to have to be more shrewd with its business than ever before. The squad needs gutting and rebuilding to cater to Ruben Amorim’s needs, but that is going to be impossible to achieve in just one summer.
United’s recruitment in recent years has contributed to their demise, with countless players being signed for inflated fees. Their decision to sign Antony for a fee rising to £86.3m in 2022 is the most damning example.
In 2019, Ratcliffe famously described United’s decision to sign Fred for £50m as ‘dumb money’, so it was no surprise when he said what he did on the direction he wanted to take the club’s recruitment in exactly a year ago this week.
“What I would rather do is find the next [Kylian] Mbappe, rather than spend a fortune just trying to buy success,” Ratcliffe told the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast. “It’s not that clever, is it, buying Mbappe, in a way?
“Anybody could figure that one out. But what’s much more challenging is to to find the next Mbappe, the next [Jude] Bellingham or the next Roy Keane.”
For all the criticism Ineos and Ratcliffe have faced this season, there is no denying the club’s recruitment has improved. United made five first-team signings last summer, the most eye-catching of which was the addition of Leny Yoro, who was also wanted by Real Madrid.
He was signed with a long-term plan in mind and the same can be said for the captures of Patrick Dorgu, Heaven and Obi. United also hope Sekou Kone can form a pathway to the first-team.
