David Beckham thinks Sir Jim Ratcliffe needs time to turn around Man Utd
Ratcliffe took charge of Manchester United’s football operations in February.
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.David Beckham is hopeful Sir Jim Ratcliffe will turn Manchester United’s fortunes around.
Ratcliffe’s Ineos took charge of the club’s football operations from the Glazer family in February but United have had an underwhelming start to the new campaign as they look to build on last year’s FA Cup success.
Pressure has mounted on manager Erik ten Hag, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League after seven games and winless in two Europa League fixtures.
Beckham, who won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and the Champions League during his playing career with United, believes fans will need 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 as he has been president of MLS side Inter Miami since it was founded in 2018.
Inter Miami, who signed Lionel Messi last year, have won this season’s MLS Supporters’ Shield – awarded to the team with the best regular season record – and will be targeting their first championship when the play-offs start later this month.
The former England captain said he looked to his old Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson for guidance when founding the club.
“I went to him once and said to him, ‘I’m starting this team, how would you run it?’,” he added.
“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.”
:: Listen to the full Rio Meets Becks interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.