Gary Neville reacts to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s £245m investment plan

Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to commit £245 million from his own wealth to Manchester United’s ageing infrastructure on top of a deal to acquire 25% of the club.

An announcement for Ratcliffe’s buy-in is expected this month, as per Sky News, but until that happens we are having to deal with snippets of information around the deal.

The Glazer family initially announced their plans for a strategic review 12 months ago, but Ratcliffe will hope to take control of sporting operations at the club before the New Year.

Reflecting on the news, former Manchester United captain Gary Neville told Sky Sports: “What we need to hear is the full proposal and how it is going to work.

“You don’t sit here as a Manchester United fan, wholly impressed by the idea of £245m going in to improve the stadium because we know that Real Madrid and Barcelona are spending a billion to get their stadiums right with a full refit, and we know that other clubs have spent significantly more.

“So, we know that is not actually going to touch the sides properly of a full refurb of Old Trafford but what it is, is a significant amount of money – and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a smart and successful businessman.

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“He’s not going to put £245m into something and let it go down the drain, so I suspect it is probably the first instalment of some sort of plan that means that they will phase the refurbishment of the stadium over two or three different seasons. It sounds to me like they will do it in phases.”

While results have been hit and miss this season, Neville also believes United – as a business – is failing.

He added: “If he puts some money in then it at least might deal with some of the issues that exist within the stadium. You don’t go into successful clothes shops, or hairdressers or petrol stations or banks with leaking roofs. A leaking roof is really clear evidence that a business is not being invested in, a business is not being looked after and to be fair a business that is failing.

“Whichever way you look at it. When I go into a supermarket I don’t see the roof leaking, but Manchester United Football Club, one of the biggest football clubs in the world has a leaking roof, and it becomes funny, it becomes a joke.

“But it is actually the clearest evidence that you can point towards other than the lack of success on the pitch that tells you that this is a failing administration and a failing leadership. It is.

“Just take it into your own life and think about when you walk into a bar or a restaurant you would say ‘I’m not going there again’. It’s a fact.

“I know we joke about it, but it’s a really serious thing. I take great pride in that stadium, that stadium has been my life.

“When I look over it and I see the paint has been rusted, or it has not been painted or the roof is leaking and that the concourses are so tired and that the hospitality is way behind everywhere else, and that the fan experience outside is probably the worst in the league – I genuinely, honestly wince inside.”

Ratcliffe will have his work cut out for him at United. Especially if the Glazers plan to stick around for the long-term future.

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