It’s now been 14 months since Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim withdrew his bid to buy Manchester United, and club fans could be forgiven for wondering what might have been. After offering around £5billion to buy the Premier League giant outright before withdrawing from the process, the Glazers favoured a minority stake purchase from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a lifelong United supporter who had vowed to bring success back to Old Trafford.
But despite an unlikely FA Cup win, fans have had to endure another managerial change and mediocre league form early on in Ratcliffe's reign, with their side currently 13th in the table following the departure of Erik ten Hag.
Anger is also festering over Ratcliffe’s ruthless budget cuts, while the transfer policy remains much-maligned with sporting director Dan Ashworth having departed just five months into his tenure.
And just when club owners needed it least, details have now emerged of the full extent of Sheikh Jassim’s proposals. Far from snubbing the traditional club culture and history, it appears his consortium were prepared to embrace the expertise and knowledge of former players.
According to the Mail, Sir Alex Ferguson, who saw his ambassadorial contract ruthlessly axed by Ratcliffe, was to be invited onto the advisory board. Class of '92 icons David Beckham and Neville, were also said to have been lined up to contribute.
It wasn’t just high-profile football figures that Sheikh Jassim was seemingly targeting either. F1 guru Ross Brawn, who oversaw Michael Schumacher’s famous run of five consecutive world titles from 1999 to 2004 at Ferrari, was reportedly discussed as a figure who could oversee club performance on and off the field.
‘Project Ruby’ could also have brought about seismic change in terms of the club venue and location. Building a new 'adaptable' stadium was also said to have been 'seriously considered', with a capacity of between 90,000 and 100,000.
However, using advanced technology, the proposed arena would have been designed so that capacity could be lowered to as much as 45,000 should it be deemed necessary. Such a move would have paved the way for the women’s side to finally share a home with their male counterparts, instead of continuing to play matches at Leigh Sports Village.
Manchester based commercial property company JLL are said to have been approached to commence work on the project, with the idea that the venture would create a ‘breathtaking’ new home while still embracing Old Trafford traditions. Instead, the venue once dubbed the ‘Theatre of Dreams’ continues to come under criticism, with regular complaints over a leaking roof and internal conditions.
To further irk United fans, Sheikh Jassim was also apparently insistent there were no plans to raise ticket prices. Earlier this month, ahead of the home win over Everton, protests were held against both Ratcliffe and the Glazer family for hiking up match day costs.
Whether the Qatari Royal Family member still has plans for a later bid should Ratcliffe’s part-ownership collapse remains to be seen. But the latest reveal is only like to pile pressure on the INEOS chief amid discontent over his impact thus far.