When Sir Jim Ratcliffe was born, Manchester United were champions of England. If that was an unusual status for them then – Sir Matt Busby’s triumph in 1952 was United’s first in 41 years – the chances are that Ratcliffe hopes their 21st title will come with him in the boardroom. It has taken him seven decades to travel the seven miles from his Failsworth birthplace to Old Trafford and a status as co-owner of United. That, and the accumulation of remarkable wealth; some £1.3bn has been required for the petrochemicals tycoon to purchase a 25 per cent stake in the club.
Now the Glazer family’s share of United is lower than it has been at any stage since their 2005 leveraged buyout. If one era has not ended, another has begun. Change is coming to the Old Trafford boardroom; perhaps to other levels of a club that has underachieved on the pitch in the last decade, too. The questions revolve around how much and how quickly; around who, and why, and when.
