Sir Jim Ratcliffe slams Manchester United recruitment, revealing “major change” in bombshell interview

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has slammed Manchester United’s recruitment in a bombshell interview around one year after his investment in the club.

Rúben Amorim’s influence at Manchester United is starting to take shape, as the 39-year-old works to build a clearer picture of his squad.

Weeks of training have helped the players adjust to Amorim’s 3-4-3 system, while he continues to evaluate their strengths and pinpoint areas for improvement.

Read More: Rúben Amorim urged to complete stunning free transfer, star loves Manchester United already

United are also shaping their 2025 transfer plans, focusing on summer activity due to a constrained January budget.

While Amorim plays a vital role in identifying the team’s priorities, recruitment efforts are being led by sporting director Dan Ashworth and director of recruitment Christopher Vivell.

Ratcliffe slams the club

In a bombshell interview with club fanzine United We Stand, United’s minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe slammed the club for their recruitment, explaining that major change is needed in the next few months.

Ratcliffe bought 27.7% of the club in an acquisition in December last year and has since made a host of changes to various departments, cutting around 250 jobs.

“The club has drifted for a long period of time, a decade or so. Manchester United has become mediocre,” he said.

“It’s not elite and it is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. That’s what it used to be under [Sir] Alex [Ferguson].

“There is major change to come to achieve elite status. But already there has been huge change at this club.”

Continued, he said: “Until were are as good as anyone in the world, then it’s not good enough for Manchester United. We must have the best recruitment in the world,’ the United minority owner said.

“Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn’t really exist here. We’re still in the last century on data analysis here.

“There’s immense amount of useful data that we can get from data analysis and we’re in the ‘very poor’ bracket with data analysis here. These things don’t happen overnight.

“You can’t just flick a light switch and sort out recruitment. It’s all about people and we need to find the right people.”

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