Previous comments from Sir Jim Ratcliffe show how he feels about the way
Manchester United have been run in recent years, revealing which player could potentially be sold as a result of his takeover. Sir Jim Ratcliffe is one of the frontrunners to take over United , competing with Qatari national Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani . Manchester born-Ratcliffe is reportedly bidding for a 50% stake in the business, with the Glazer family retaining a minority shareholding. The Ineos CEO is the owner of French Ligue 1 club Nice and has become heavily involved in the successful
British cycling setup in recent years. His company is the title sponsor of Ineos Grenadiers, which was previously known as Team Sky, a team fronted by British cycling guru Sir Dave Brailsford. The British cycling team was unparalleled in the previous decade, winning seven Tour De
France titles and team boss Brailsford is reportedly planned to be a member of the hierarchy at United should a takeover materialise. He also has expertise to draw on through his association with seven-time
Formula One Constructors' Champions Mercedes. Erik ten Hag provides Raphael Varane injury boost as Man Utd target Brighton "revenge" Man Utd learn Tammy Abraham asking price as Erik ten Hag gets double transfer boost United's recent fortunes have not matched these successes and Ratcliffe has previously outlined how the club have failed as a business, including their work in the transfer market. Ratcliffe pointed to the signing of Fred as a poor decision. Boyhood United fan Ratcliffe revealed his views in an interview with the Times in 2019 when he said: "[Ineos] never wants to be the dumb money in town, never. They [United] are in quite a big pickle as a business. "They haven't got the manager selection right, haven't bought well. They have been the dumb money, which you see with players like Fred. United have spent an immense amount since [Sir Alex] Ferguson left and been poor, to put it mildly. Shockingly poor, to be honest." At that point, Fred was a year into his spell at United follwing a £4 million transfer from Shakhtar. Since then, fans have seen a turnaround infortunes for the the midfielder, with praise for his perfomances this season under Erik ten Hag. Nice, meanwhile, have not hit the expected heights as yet, with big names signings last summer such as Aaron Ramsey and Ross Barkley failing to bring success as the French Riviera club currently sit ninth in Ligue 1. Fred's Man United transfer was criticised by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in 2019 ( Image: (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)) In the interview, Racliffe continued to outline which clubs should be followed as an example, saying that his approach at Nice was to be 'moderately intelligent' and follow sides such as Southampton, who are favourites to be relegated from the
Premier League this season. He added: "We have a different approach here to be moderately intelligent about it. Try to do it more grass roots, trying to locate young talent. "Some clubs seem to have an ability to do that, Southampton , Lille. United have done it really poorly. They have lost the plot." The United bidding process is entering its final stages, with the final deadline for bids passing on April 28 and any takeover is expected to be completed shortly after the end of the season. This is believed to be the preference of Ratcliffe, who will be outlining his plans for the summer accordingly.