Many Manchester United fans were hoping Sheikh Jassim would purchase the club from the Glazers, but there is one aspect Sir Jim Ratcliffe has delivered compared to the Qatari
Sheikh Jassim was one of the main contenders to buy Manchester United(Image: PA)
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani was linked with a Manchester United takeover before Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought the club.
While the Qatari sheikh was hoping to takeover United from the Glazers, Ratcliffe won the race by purchasing a 27.7% stake in the club, parting with around £1.25bn. United beat Manchester City to lift the FA Cup around four months after his purchase was completed.
However, with United having slumped to a 15th-placed Premier League finish under the Ineos chief, some fans have been left disillusioned by the British billionaire.
While the good times are certainly yet to come under Ratcliffe’s leadership, many decisions he has made were not even mentioned by Sheikh Jassim. When the latter was pitching to take total control of United, significant investment and a pledge to clear the club’s debt was at the forefront of his charm offensive.
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However, the Middle Eastern billionaire’s vision on the boardroom side was vague. With no experience in running any football team, let alone one with the sheer magnitude and reach of United, Jassim’s pitch was to hand out backroom roles to club legends.
His populist pledge may have charmed the more nostalgic supporters, but it would have been a red flag for others. Handing out certain roles to individuals whose best work was on the pitch rather than in the boardrooms would have been a huge risk.
Ratcliffe veered away from the nostalgia and immediately sought the best in class. Omar Berrada was brought over from Manchester City and appointed as the CEO, while Dan Ashworth was named as sporting director.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has had a tough start to life at Manchester United(Image: 2025 UEFA)
While the latter proved to be a disaster who spent more time on gardening leave than in situ, Ashworth was at least appointed on his track record as the FA director of elite development, rather than on nostalgia and vibes.
Ashworth was eventually replaced by Jason Wilcox, who was appointed as sporting director in June. Wilcox arrived from Southampton as a technical director, two months before Ashworth stepped into the building.
His promotion was made as Sir Dave Brailsford stepped back from his duties at Old Trafford. Wilcox has an excellent reputation for developing young talent at Manchester City and Southampton.
In August, Ratcliffe officially opened United’s new £50m first-team building at their Carrington training complex(Image: 2025 Manchester United FC)
His appointment chimed with the overall ethos of United, which prides itself on its jaw-dropping record of having at least one academy-developed player in every squad since 1937. As important as boardroom appointments are, Ratcliffe will only be judged by results.
Before the international break, the important, but albeit unconvincing, 3-2 victory over Burnley at least gave United a platform to put together a run of form. City, who have endured a worse start to the campaign than United, will be waiting at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Victory would see Amorim extend his unbeaten streak over Pep Guardiola to four matches. It would also be the first time United have put back-to-back league victories together in his reign.
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