Man Utd fans have shared their excitement on social media after it was announced that Sir Jim Ratcliffe had purchased a 25% stake of the club from the Glazer family.
The club officially announced on Sunday that Ratcliffe’s deal to purchase a minority ownership stake has been completed, with the 71-year-old taking over football operations at the club.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS group – which owns a number of sports clubs, including French outfit Nice – will oversee United’s fortunes following approval from the Premier League, which is expected to take four to six weeks.
The news comes after months of speculation surrounding the future of the club that has been swirling since the Glazers announced in November last year that they would be open to a potential sale.
United have endured a disappointing season thus far under Erik ten Hag, crashing out of Europe after finishing bottom of their group in the Champions League for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
Man Utd fans have rejoiced on social media after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s deal to buy a 25% stake in the club was announced
The news comes during what has been a largely disappointing campaign for Erik ten Hag’s side
Domestically they haven’t fared much better, being eliminated in the fourth round of the EFL Cup by Newcastle as defending champions, while sitting eighth in the Premier League with just one win in their last five games.
However, many supporters on social media appeared confident that any change to the Glazer regime will ultimately prove to be a positive one for the club as a whole moving forward.
One fan wrote: ‘Sir Jim Ratcliffe 25% deal, for the first time in 18 years, there is light at the end of the tunnel for Man Utd.’
Another added: ‘All I ask is that Ratcliffe takes away all the bad decisions from Glazers. Give me a worthy sporting project.’
A further fan wrote: ‘Isn’t what we wanted but Ratcliffe having full control of football operations is huge…’
However not everyone online was as universal in their praise surrounding the announcement.
United fans shared excitement over the news, but some expressed reservations over the Glazers maintaining their majority ownership
One fan insisted that fundamental changes will not take place until the Glazers have sold their entire stake in the club.
‘People getting worked up over Jim Ratcliffe buying 1/4 of Man Utd need to take a breath and realize the Glazers can still veto anything/everything he wants to do. Until they themselves have minority stakes or are gone completely, I can’t see much changing.’
Another added: ‘If we had a date for the removal of the Glazers as we were told I think we could of all get behind Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
‘Of course we all want the Glazers Out and not much any of us can do. However I fear if we don’t get that detail people just won’t get behind it.’
United legend Gary Neville responded to the news by criticising the announcement’s timing
