David Beckham has urged Manchester United fans to be patient with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s desired transformation of the club.
However, the Red Devils legend has also made it clear to the petrochemicals billionaire that supporters want the ‘good old days back’ in the near future.
Beckham welcomes Ratcliffe’s revolutionary ambitions after years of stagnation under the Glazers, but the Ineos chief has taken flak for some of his stringent measures, such as ejecting Sir Alex Ferguson from his ambassadorial post and cutting 250 jobs.
‘I think that it definitely needed change. 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,’ Beckham told the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast.
‘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.
David Beckham has warned fans that Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Man United overhaul will ‘take time’
Ratcliffe, left, has been a hands-on figure at United, unafraid to make unpopular decisions
Beckham welcomes a fresh face after years of the club declining under the Glazer family
‘But I think more importantly the fans see that he cares, and I think that 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.’
Read More
MAN UTD CONFIDENTIAL: United’s asking price for Antony and how the Glazers avoided Gary Neville
It has been another frustrating campaign so far at Old Trafford, with United off to their worst start in the Premier League – after their worst season in the rebranded top flight.
United are 14th in the Premier League and Saturday’s match against Brentford has been talked up as a potential final straw for manager Erik ten Hag.
The club’s hierarchy met over the international break to discuss his future but opted to stay with the Dutchman, as they did over the summer.
That Thomas Tuchel has agreed to be the new England manager, just weeks after United reportedly told him he was their top target, may see the Dutchman granted a stay of execution.
Ratcliffe has been keen to brand himself as the efficient visionary scything his way through deadwood and blubbery costs, but decisions such as cancelling the Christmas party, bringing staff back to the office full-time, and refusing to pay for staff travel to Wembley for the FA Cup final as is traditional have been unpopular.
The fans appreciate that Ratcliffe cares about the club, Beckham told Rio Ferdinand
Despite the positive branding around Ratcliffe, United are still off to their worst-ever start to a Premier League season
As co-owner of Inter Miami, Beckham knows what it is like to run a football club and understands it is not all rosy, even with vision and major investment.
He also opened up on having to sack his former Manchester United team-mate Phil Neville as Inter Miami boss with the club bottom of the Eastern Conference last year.
‘I think it was one of the most difficult things I’d had to do…. it was going to be difficult no matter what time it happened and when it happened,’ he told Ferdinand’s podcast.
‘It was quite emotional on my side just purely because I didn’t want to sack a friend.’
Listen to the full Rio Meets Becks interview on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. RioFerdinandPresents.com
