Sir Jim Ratcliffe sends first message to Supporters Trust
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sent his first message to Manchester United fans through the Supporters’ Trust.
The billionaire owner of INEOS Sport completed his 25% takeover a few days ago after more than a year of pursuing an interest in purchasing the club.
MUST is a non profit organisation setup by fans who deliver in the best interest of match-going fans at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe wrote:
"“ I wanted to write to you at this time given the critical role of the fans to the future of Manchester United as we recognise our responsibility as custodians of the Club on your behalf."
"I believe we can bring sporting success on the pitch to complement the undoubted commercial success that the club has enjoyed. It will require time and patience alongside rigour and the highest level of professional management."
"You are ambitious for Manchester United and so are we. There are no guarantees in sport, and change can inevitably take time but we are in it for the long term and together we want to help take Manchester United back to where the club belongs, at the very top of English, European and World Football. I take that responsibility very seriously.”"
- Ratcliffe to MUST
The takeover is still subject to Premier League approval, which usually takes a transitional 6 to 8 weeks before INEOS Sport can dig their hands into operations at United:
"“Please note that, as with any deal, it is subject to the usual regulatory sign-off process and therefore we do not expect to speak publicly about Club matters until after the deal has completed.""
Red Devil Armada’s verdict:
Penning a letter to the fans shows early signs of his intention to communicate with the fans. The bar is incredibly low given the Glazers’ lack of communication to fans over the course of their ownership. A connection with fans will instantly go down well, as a streamlined way of communicating via fans, through MUST, could form a good line of communicating the needs of fans going forward on important projects such as the stadium, transfer strategies and much more.