EDGE OF THE CLIFFE
Sir Jim sees the dangers at first hand and now knows size of the task he faces in his £1.25billion project to turn around United
SIR Jim Ratcliffe should have known not to tempt fate with this current Manchester United side.
“We normally do well against Spurs,” said Ratcliffe before Sunday’s 2-2 draw, echoing Sir Alex Ferguson’s infamously dismissive “Lads, it’s Tottenham” pre-match team talk.
Yet when a team has lost almost half of its matches, you cannot take anything for granted, as Ratcliffe discovered at his first game since making his £1.25billion investment.
A couple of hours before kickoff at Old Trafford, Ratcliffe conducted a meet and greet with the media, citing the need for his investment to be ratified by the Premier League before he could speak candidly about the challenge ahead.
But over the course of the match, the 71-year-old boyhood United fan, sitting alongside Ferguson in the directors’ box (right), saw first-hand the size of the task that awaits him when he is granted control of football operations next month.
Ratcliffe saw what United fans have endured for too long this season – a side consistently inconsistent,
one incapable of controlling games and with no discernible identity or style.
Ange Postecoglou has been in charge of Spurs for merely a matter of months yet his players have bought into his philosophy and way of playing. The same goes for Unai Emery at Aston Villa. Erik ten Hag has been in his post longer than both, yet his side remain a work in progress, a frustrating conundrum.
Even with Spurs missing a host of key players in Heungmin Son, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Yves Bissouma, they were still the dominant team, enjoying 64 percent of possession and registering 16 efforts on goal to United’s nine.
Twice United led, only to relinquish that advantage. Had Spurs been equipped with their full complement of attacking players – as Ten Hag’s side were – they
Lucrative contracts handed to those who are not worthy of them has fostered a culture of complacency which has exacerbated United’s demise
would surely have left victorious. Recruitment is one of the biggest single issues facing Ratcliffe and his team once they are able to start wielding influence at United. More than £1billion has been spent on players since Ferguson retired in 2013 yet United are further away than ever from mounting a credible Premier League title challenge. Inflated fees have been paid for players with mere potential – for example, £82million on Antony, £73m on Rasmus Hojlund – rather than those who are the finished product, while lucrative longterm contracts handed to those not worthy of them has fostered a culture of complacency and exacerbated United’s demise.
“I don’t blame the players (Antony and Hojlund) because those price tags are too high,” said former United defender Gary Neville. “They are £30-40m players who should be second or third choice behind an experienced forward line. You don’t graduate from university and get a top job. Expect a young player to take the top job in football – centre-forward at Manchester
United? You don’t ask that.” Ex-united captain Roy Keane echoed his former team-mate, taking the disappointing Marcus Rashford to task, when he said: “Hojlund should be learning his trade from the bench and
Rashford’s desire needs to change. He’s been going through the motions.”
Ratcliffe has a full in-tray to sort when he is eventually given the green light to get going at United, who can be backed at 250-1 to win the title this season, with restructuring the football side of the club, in terms of personnel and approach, his main task.
But the INEOS chief is acutely aware that resurrecting the 20-time champions, who are 12-1 with bookies merely to finish in the top four, will be a lengthy process, one that will inevitably involve a lot of pain before yielding real gain.
MANCHESTER UNITED midfielder Hannibal Mejbri, 20, has joined Sevilla on loan until the end of the season.
Over £1billion has been spent on players since Fergie retired in 2013, yet United are further away than ever from mounting a title challenge