Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke of the need for Manchester United to qualify for the Champions League at the end of the season in an interview in late February – before the Red Devils went on to lose their next two Premier League games.

Ratcliffe completed his part takeover of the club – purchasing a 27.7 per cent stake in the Premier League giants – and his INEOS group have gone on to take control of the team’s football operations. 

Plenty of speculation surrounds Erik ten Hag’s future at the club after a trying second spell punctuated by issues off the field, and at the moment the Red Devils face a tough challenge if they are to return to Europe’s premier competition. 

Failure to do so could hamper Ten Hag’s prolonged presence in the dugout, though, with footage from late February emerging of Ratcliffe making it clear Champions League was the target in no uncertain terms.  

‘We really, really want to get into the Champions League next year – it’s quite important for FFP,’ Ratcliffe told the BBC. ‘It’s a two to three season challenge to get the organisation and environment right to produce results. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe told the BBC that he believes Manchester United need to reach the Champions League

Erik ten Hag's side then went on to lose their next two games following the interview

Erik ten Hag’s side then went on to lose their next two games following the interview

‘Our focus is absolutely on the field, winning football matches, but the first thing is the organisation – the design of the organisation needs to be correct. If you take the example at the moment with the coach reporting to the chief executive, that doesn’t make any sense.’

The new Man United part-owner was quick to outline how he thinks is the best plan to achieve that goal, claiming that the calibre of staff appointments will be crucial to the success of the project. 

‘You need to populate that organisation with people who are best in class, the top people in that world in that class. United is a huge club and it’s going to be a great challenge to get it to where it’s going, so it will attract the best people in the world in my view. 

‘We have to find the best people in the world and make sure they have the right character and personality that they can work positively in a structure. We don’t like bullies, we don’t like egos; people who are really good at their job and have the right type of personality. 

‘Then we need to create the right type of environment for elite sportspeople to be successful, because all you’re doing is trying to drive performance on the pitch. It’s elite sport, it needs to be driven and competitive, it’s going to be intense from time to time, but equally it needs to be friendly, there needs to be done with a bit of warmth and supportive. 

‘You need to be able to put your arm around the players from time to time rather than beating them with a stick all the time. It’s a combination of the organisation, the right people, the right environment, and my belief is that the results will fall out of the bottle. If you look at United today, it doesn’t tick all of those boxes.’

After an impressive first term at the helm, Ten Hag and Co have found the 2023-24 campaign tough going. 

They managed to win the Carabao Cup last season – beating Newcastle in the Wembley final to end a six-year wait for silverware – as well as securing a spot in this term’s Champions League. 

Ratcliffe has completed a 27.7 per cent partial takeover of Man United and will oversee football operations at the club

Ratcliffe has completed a 27.7 per cent partial takeover of Man United and will oversee football operations at the club

United had gone unbeaten in their first games for 2024 before two successive defeats in the Premier League

United had gone unbeaten in their first games for 2024 before two successive defeats in the Premier League 

Yet this season has seen a number of issues crop up off-field that have raised questions over Ten Hag’s suitability for the role when combined with his team’s poor form. 

Jadon Sancho publicly fell out with the former Ajax manager before being sent out on loan to Borussia Dortmund having not featured since August, while Marcus Rashford was seen on a night out in Belfast before calling in sick to training.

Sunday saw them once again defeated by arch rivals Manchester City in the Manchester derby, Phil Foden and Erling Haaland scoring after a Rashford stunner to inflict a humiliating 3-1 win over Ten Hag. 

The manager himself backed his side to reach the Champions League after the game, however the Red Devils are currently 11 adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa, in sixth spot. 



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Post source: Daily mail

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