David Beckham has revealed what he thinks about Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS took over the club’s football operations in February but after last season’s FA Cup success it has been another difficult start to this campaign.
Pressure has grown on manager Erik ten Hag with United languishing in 14th place in the Premier League after seven games and two winless Europa League fixtures.
But Beckham - who won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League during his time at Old Trafford - has urged United fans to be patient with Ratcliffe and his team.
“I think that it definitely needed change," Beckham said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast. "I think, speaking as a United fan, I think that many people had said that the club needed change and it needed a fresh perspective in how this club needs to be run and the decisions that are made.
“I really like Jim. I've met him a few times over the years with a few mutual friends and I think that he's a fan and obviously he's a great businessman as well, one of the best and one of the biggest.
"But I think more importantly the fans see that he cares, and I think that's a big part of it. I think obviously the fans had lost faith with the leadership over the years and obviously he really cares about what he wants to do and what he wants to create.
"So, hopefully, things will change but these things take time. I think we have been quite patient as United fans over the years but we want those good old days back. We want those days back and the sooner the better."
Beckham knows all about running a football club himself, having been president of Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise Inter Miami since it was founded in 2018.
Inter Miami have signed Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba under his stewardship and this season won the MLS Supporters’ Shield - awarded to the team with the best regular season record.
The Miami outfit are now targeting their first championship when the play-offs start later this month and Beckham said he went to his old United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for advice when founding the club.
"I went to him once and said to him, 'I'm starting this team, how would you run it?'," Beckham said. "And he sat me down for a couple of hours and he told me what I should do and what players I should be looking for and how I should run the academy.
"And that's really what I've tried to do. And then I also learnt from people like (Real Madrid president) Florentino Perez. You know, with Florentino, he has this crazy vision of always bringing the greatest players to the club and building this unbelievable stadium."
