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Nicolas Atkin

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville insisted the club needs “disrupting” as he welcomed the impending arrival of British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.
The Ineos chairman is set to acquire a 25 per cent stake in the struggling English giants and will reportedly inject £245 million (US$305 million) into upgrading infrastructure after a protracted takeover saga that started a year ago.
The 71-year-old could have his work cut out, however, with Neville recently quipping United need “Daniel Radcliffe, not Jim Ratcliffe”.
The tongue-in-cheek nod to the star of the Harry Potter film franchise offered a damning assessment of the scale of overhaul required, but Neville sees Ratcliffe’s investment as a good first step.
“It’s more positive than the current status quo you have where the club is obviously stuck,” Neville told the Post during Friday’s Leap to Entrepreneurship event at Hong Kong’s Eaton Club in Champion Tower, where he promoted his new luxury residential project, the W Residences Manchester, in association with the Asia Bankers Club.

“I would have liked for it to have been a full sale, but that’s not happening and this is a lot better than the alternative which is for the Glazer family to remain in control alone.
“That boardroom needed disrupting, the whole club needed disrupting, and I suspect that’s going to happen now. He’s a very successful businessman, Jim Ratcliffe, who knows what he’s doing.
“It’s a giant task, let’s make no mistake about it. But anybody coming in to Manchester United deserves time to be able to allow themselves to settle in, and understand what’s required and build success.
“It’s not going to happen overnight. If it did, wow, but I don’t envisage that myself.”

With Ratcliffe’s minority stake acquisition finally set to be made official, CEO Richard Arnold announced this week he will step down. The cull could continue with football director John Murtough’s position now reportedly under threat, too.
Former Juventus chief Jean-Claude Blanc and recruitment specialist Paul Mitchell, respectively, have been linked with the positions, while Ineos director of sport Dave Brailsford is also being touted to play a hands-on role in Ratcliffe’s new team.
“I think when any takeover happens, you normally get a change of management, you normally get a change of leadership and that doesn’t surprise me,” Neville said.
“I think ultimately there will be more changes in the next three to four months, five months, whenever Jim Ratcliffe actually comes in. I’m sure he will want to put in a new team there, and create cultural change, and that’s not an unusual thing to happen when someone comes in to a new business.”

While he anticipates changes at boardroom level, Neville insisted manager Erik Ten Hag should be given more time despite a poor start to this season, with United languishing in sixth place in the Premier League and having suffered nine defeats across all competitions.
“He’s [Ten Hag] definitely had it rough with injuries, the injuries have been terrible,” Neville said.
“But he’s actually at this moment in time sat not too far away from where he wants to be in the top four, which is incredible and tells you what’s happening in the league at this moment in time.

“But who knows what’s going to happen. I think there will be changes in the football department and I would like to think Erik Ten Hag will be given some time. He had a good season last year and he deserves some time to be able to develop the squad.
“Whether Jim Ratcliffe thinks that is another matter, but I would like to see him stay, particularly this season I see no reason at all why Manchester United should change manager.
“Erik Ten Hag did a really good job last year and he’s had terrible injuries since the start of this season so there are circumstances that have been challenging and difficult, and all around him there’s been chaos as well.”


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English Premier League

Gary Neville says ‘whole of Manchester United needs disrupting’ as Jim Ratcliffe arrival looms

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INEOS chairman Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford in Manchester earlier this year. Photo: Reuters

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Manchester United manager Erik Ten Hag is reportedly set to keep his job despite poor results this season. Photo: AFP

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Sport

Football

While he anticipates changes at boardroom level, Neville insists manager Erik Ten Hag should be given more time despite poor start this season
‘He’s had terrible injuries, and all around him there’s been chaos as well,’ former United captain insists during visit to Hong Kong


While he anticipates changes at boardroom level, Gary Neville insists manager Erik Ten Hag should be given more time despite poor start this season.
