The Ineos regime set an ambitious target for Man United to finally win the Premier League title again in 2028.
United CEO Omar Berrada.(Image: 2026 Getty Images)
View Image
"I firmly believe we can do it," said Omar Berrada of Manchester United's target to win the Premier League by 2028 during an interview with the United We Stand fanzine.
The Ineos brainstrust picked out 2028 to end the club's title drought to coincide with the club's 150th anniversary. "We have two or three summer windows to build a team to start competing to win the Premier League," he added.
"We're setting ourselves a target with a specific timeframe to go and aim for. It's establishing a series of targets within a timeframe so we can focus our efforts and energy on that goal.
"We've just finished 15th and it seems an impossible task. But why not aim for it? Why not do everything in our power?"
United should be aiming to win the Premier League title, but they spent £148million in the summer window while Manchester City spent £458m, so how are they realistically going to end the drought?
United's end-of-year financial figures were released on Wednesday afternoon. Although the Reds posted a record revenue of £677m, they recorded a £43m loss, and the club is still straddled with over £1billion in debt.
The plans for a new stadium are still going ahead. United refinanced a loan over the summer to purchase the necessary land for the project at a cost of £63.5m, and the construction could cost up to £2bn.
Berrada reiterated that the club needed to remain disciplined to improve its financial situation when the latest figures were announced, saying: "We are pleased to have secured record revenues"
"This demonstrates the underlying strength of our business, and shows the direct impact of the work we have been doing over the past two years. While these results confirm that we are on the right trajectory, we will continue to take a disciplined approach to ensure our finances remain sustainable.
"With that financial sustainability in mind, we have strengthened both our men's and women's teams during the summer window and our men's team has seen the return of Champions League football to Old Trafford."
City, Liverpool and Arsenal are financially stable, but they spend more in the transfer market than United, who have little chance of usurping their rivals at the top of the league without paying top dollar with players.
*FOLLOW OUR MAN UNITED FB PAGE!Latest news and analysis via the MEN’s Manchester United Facebook page*
United signed a goalkeeper on a free transfer and three midfielders ahead of the new season, failing to sign a cover for striker and left-back, which has already come back to bite them by the end of September.
The latest figures prove that it's fanciful to talk about United winning the Premier League in two years. Berrada has to be ambitious, that's his remit as CEO, but talking a good game without spending what is required to challenge for the title just makes the situation worse.
United fans are not daft and know that winning the title by 2028 is unrealistic. They read about the staggering levels of debt, the club making a loss, and compare United's transfer spend to what their rivals have invested.
The stadium project is seemingly only going to make things worse. United will have a state-of-the-art arena, but what is the point in having a world-class home if the club are not prepared to sign the best players?
The only chance United have of winning the title by 2028 is by nailing every transfer they make. They would have a chance of challenging if every signing was guaranteed to be an immense success, but even the safest-looking deals can fail.
It would be fascinating for Berrada to be asked whether he still thinks the goal is possible the next time he is interviewed. It seems likely he would make a U-turn.