Prospective Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to take a pragmatic approach to the running of the club if he acquires it from the Glazers, according to a former colleague who worked closely with him at Nice.
Ratcliffe already has experience as an owner of a football club, the British businessman having complete control of French club Nice and Swiss Swiss Super League team FC Lausanne-Sport.
Both sides have received financial backing from Ratcliffe as owner, though he hasn't spent beyond either club's means and has only opted to spend money when it is highly likely there will be tangible results on the pitch. Despite that, he has previously committed to winning things at Manchester United, should he become the majority owner.
His former Nice colleague, who prefers to remain anonymous, explained to FourFourTwo how he is pragmatic in the way he spends his money and will take his time on major decisions in order to come to what he believes is the correct conclusion.
“Sir Jim will let you work, but he doesn’t want to waste his money either,” his former colleague told FFT.
“If he sees that the team isn’t improving, that things aren’t moving forward, then he’ll take big decisions. He’s ruthless when he has to be – even if others are running the club on a daily basis, he’s the one with the final word.
“He’ll never rush a big decision like sacking a manager, though. He prefers stability in sports, just like in business. He would have discussed letting a boss go with the people around him, and weighed all the pros and cons. He would only make the call when he felt that it was necessary.”
The third round of bidding for Manchester United is set to end on Friday 28 April, with Ratcliffe expected to make a new proposal alongside fellow prospective buyer Sheikh Jassim.
According to The Times, the new bid would see Ratcliffe's Ineos firm buy a majority stake of just over 50 per cent, allowing the Glazers to either sell their remaining ownership in the club, or simply retain a 20 per cent stake.
The remaining percentage of the club's ownership would stay with investment groups.
Sheikh Jassim, meanwhile, is still expected to continue with his offer of acquiring 100 per cent ownership of the club, buying out both the Glazers and investment groups in the process.
