It’s the sort of bounding leap that Sir Jim Ratcliffe would probably prefer from his Manchester United players. On Monday evening, the billionaire was talking about how the club “goes bust at Christmas”. The next morning, he was announcing a new £2bn stadium. There was barely time for the headlines to breathe, such was the speed of it.
If nothing else, it’s quite the juxtaposition. One day, you’re discussing the necessity for punishing frugality, that Ratcliffe himself described as “brutal” and “unpleasant”. The next, you’re announcing the most ostentatious stadium project ever seen in British sport.
