Sir Jim Ratcliffe cannot follow in the same footsteps as Sir Alex Ferguson by repeating one mistake that the former Manchester United manager made at Old Trafford.
The 72-year-old British billionaire has become a divisive figure at the Premier League club after he secured his minority stake purchase in Manchester United in 2023.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became United co-owner and the boyhood Red Devils supporter’s Ineos team took control of football operations at Old Trafford as a result.
Ineos have endured a tough start to life at the Red Devils and club supporters have already seen Erik ten Hag sacked as United manager under Ratcliffe’s reign.
Ruben Amorim replaced former United manager Erik ten Hag in the Old Trafford dugout in 2024 and the Red Devils endured a woeful 2024-25 campaign.
The Red Devils managed to finish 15th in the Premier League table after their form fell off a cliff and United also lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe must consider using their ‘ace in the hole’ vs Real Madrid over former Man Utd talent
Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe talked to Sir Alex Ferguson ahead of the Premier League match between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford in 2024 in Manchester.
Photo by Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images
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Sir Alex Ferguson’s major Man Utd transfer call is a warning to Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford
Sir Alex Ferguson, who is widely regarded as one of the best managers of all time, saw both the highs and lows during his illustrious reign at the Premier League club.
The 83-year-old former Manchester United manager called it time on his legendary career in 2013 after the Red Devils’ last Premier League title triumph.
Ferguson’s remarkable 26-year run at Old Trafford wasn’t without its drama, including his high-profile fallout with England and United legend Sir David Beckham.
The iconic Scotsman’s relationship with Sir David Beckham fractured and Ferguson made the decision to offload the former United winger from the Red Devils.
Beckham had been linked with Barcelona before Real Madrid came swooping in and signed the 50-year-old United legend in a deal worth £24.5m in 2003.
However, United fans were not best pleased with the little transfer fee that the club secured for the former England captain, irrespective of his falling out with Ferguson.
The Guardian reported in 2003 that United would receive ‘as little as £7m’ in the 2003-04 season after the transfer fee was staggered out over a period of time.
United’s initial transfer for Beckham was believed to be only £18m, with the newspaper reporting that the reaction included the belief that he left “on the cheap.”
READ MORE: Ruben Amorim must now fix ‘critical’ Erik ten Hag ‘mistake’ over two Man Utd transfer targets, original call backfired
Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s situation with Alejandro Garnacho and Ruben Amorim must not repeat what happened with Sir Alex Ferguson
The situation around Sir David Beckham and Ferguson at United has similar shades to what is happening with Ruben Amorim and Alejandro Garnacho at Old Trafford.
Amorim reportedly told Alejandro Garnacho to look for a new club this summer after their falling out following United’s loss to Spurs in the Europa League final in May.
United are keen to sell Garnacho and the 21-year-old Spain-born attacker has been linked with Premier League side Chelsea and Serie A outfit Napoli in recent months.
The Red Devils are believed to have a £70m asking price in mind for the Argentina star, but they are reportedly willing to let Garnacho leave for only £40m.
United have a lot more to lose by letting Garnacho leave for a cheaper price, especially as the Red Devils can extract pure profits from the player’s transfer.
The winger came through the United youth academy and a sale of Garnacho would help the club with the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR).
United fans were rightfully disappointed over the fee for Beckham and the same would happen again with Chelsea-linked Garnacho being sold at a discount.