Sir Alex Ferguson breaks silence on Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed Man Utd investment
Sir Alex Ferguson admits he is ‘optimistic’ about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed 25 per cent investment in Manchester United.
Ratcliffe is close to finalising a deal with the Red Devils worth £1.3billion following months and months of negotiations with the Glazer family. The British billionaire has seen off a rival bid from Qatari billionaire Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and an announcement confirming the deal could come as early as next week.
Ratcliffe is planning to build a new football operations department at the club, which will see Richard Arnold leave his role as chief executive before the end of the year, and it’s likely the club’s infrastructure will be completely overhauled in a bid to be competitive once more in the Premier League and in Europe.
Ferguson retired from management in 2013 after dominating English football with United, but has seen the club win just four trophies after he stepped away from the dugout.
He currently serves as a director at the club, attending all of United’s home games, and remains a hugely popular figure at the club.
In an interview with Gambling Zone, the Scot revealed his thoughts on Ratcliffe coming on board at United, saying: “I am still a director of the club and I know Jim well. We shall have to see what he does but I am optimistic.”
Ratcliffe is expected to name Jean-Claude Blanc as the club’s new chief executive once the formalities of his investment have been completed, with the 60-year-old’s background including stints at Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.
His time at the latter, which spanned 11 years, saw PSG win 28 trophies, establishing them as one of the dominant forces of European football. He joined INEOS in 2022 to take over as chief executive, with his current responsibilities including the overseeing of a sporting portfolio that includes Mercedes Formula 1 team and football clubs OGC Nice and Lausanne-Sport.
