Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned there will be no simple fix for Manchester United after completing his minority purchase of the Premier League side.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS group have bought a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United and will assume control of football operations.
The 71-year-old British billionaire has called his investment in the club a ‘boyhood dream’ having grown up as a childhood supporter of the Red Devils.
“It is a boyhood dream, but they never come true normally. This is the exception,” Ratcliffe said in an interview with the BBC.
“It’s ruled by the heart. This is not a financial investment for me. If I wanted to make a financial investment, I would buy another chemical company.
“It’s very much taking on one of the great challenges in the world. It is a very worthy challenge and very exciting.
“The only reason I got involved is because I want to see Manchester United restored to where it should be. I might be biased but I believe it is the biggest and most well-known club in the world. It should be playing the greatest football in the world.”
Manchester United have endured a barren run since the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, with the 20-time English champions having failed to win a top-flight title since the Scot’s exit from Old Trafford.
After more than a decade of underachievement, Ratcliffe has warned there will be no simple fix for the club despite his impending investment.
“It has clearly been a difficult 11 years since Sir Alex Ferguson and David Gill retired. It’s not switching a light switch. It’s not just a simple short-term fix. We have to walk to the right solution not run to the wrong one.
“The short-term issue is we want to get into the Champions League. It’s a two-to-three-season challenge to get the organisation and environment right, to get the performances on the field right and win football matches. That involves the design and structure of the organisation being correct.
“In the last 11 years, Manchester United have had a lot of coaches and nobody has been very successful in that environment. That says to me there is something wrong with the environment. It is not constructive for me to blame anyone, it’s just a fact. My focus is on how I change that environment to get the best out of the coach and squad.”
