Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been backed to take over Manchester United, with Nice manager Didier Digard lending support to his club's owner should he be successful in his bid.
Ratcliffe is one of two contenders to take a controlling stake in United, with Qatari national Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani also in the running. However, Ratcliffe has reportedly become the leading candidate due to his willingness to allow the Glazer family to retain a minority stake in the club.
The Nice owner also owns Swiss side FC Lausanne Sport, with his wealth coming via his ownership of chemical company, INEOS, which he founded in 1998. His ownership of Nice began in 2019, with mixed results so far, however, his popularity at the club has been revealed by manager Didier Digard, who lent his full support to Ratcliffe in the event of a successful bid.
Digard took over on an interim basis in January, with the former player taking over following the sacking of Lucien Favre, winning his first match 6-1 against Montpellier. However, more mixed results have followed, with a quarter-final exit in the Europa Conference League added to a current eighth position in Ligue 1.
“No, very sincerely,” Digard revealed whether he has any negative feelings on Ratcliffe's potential takeover of United. “For me, Manchester United is something else. I don’t think we’re dependent on that at all.
“The boss has made such an investment in Nice that, sincerely, if he can give himself the gift of Manchester United, I would be happy for him because we know that it is something that is close to his heart.
“Above all else we know that he won’t disengage from OGC Nice. So, for us, that won’t change anything. I can guarantee to you that people are giving 100% to make this club grow.”
Ratcliffe was formerly Britain's richest men and retains a place as one of the richest club owners in world sport. His investment has been considerable, with a large transfer outlay of €81.5 million (£71m) last summer and Digard's comments indicate that would be set to continue even if his interests grow.
With Nice not yet competing at the top end of Ligue 1, there are not set to be any problems regarding conflict of interest as a result of the takeover. However, should both Manchester United and Nice find themselves competing against each other in a UEFA competition then, in theory, that would not be allowed and is a worthwhile consideration in an age of multi-club ownership.
Another former Nice manager, Patrick Vieira has also recently spoken positively about Ratcliffe, revealing in an interview with FourFourTwo: "[Ratcliffe] would never interfere with my work."
Vieira, who managed the French club between 2018 and 2020 before taking over Crystal Palace continued: "We'd talk about football when we met, about the team and our lives, but he's not an owner who will get involved too much and prevent the manager from doing his job. His ambitions and expectations are high, so you know where you stand, but you can do your job freely."
Vieira was sacked by Nice in December 2020, but with his positive words about the British billionaire, United fans can take some positivity from his sentiments and what they indicate about Ratcliffe's way of working.
