Uncovered: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Transfer Strategy for Man United – New Owner Rules Out Signing a Jude Bellingham Type Star, Emphasizes Prudent Spending and Identifies Critical Position in Need of Improvement

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed that he and his Ineos team will not turn Manchester United around by spending money on football’s biggest stars.

Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion minority takeover of the club has seen him, along with Sir Dave Brailsford, take control of football operations at Old Trafford and recruitment is an area they are looking to overhaul.

Eyebrows have been raised at the large sums spent on players such as Casemiro (£70m) and Antony (£86m) and Ratcliffe is keen to take a new approach in a bid to put United back on top.

Asked about whether United should try to sign England and Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, Ratcliffe told Geraint Thomas on his podcast: ‘He’s a great footballer but that’s not where our focus is.

‘The solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple great players. They have done that if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money.

Ratcliffe wants to change the approach

Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) is not banking on signing superstars like Jude Bellingham (left) to turn Manchester United’s fortunes around come this summer’s transfer window

‘The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club and make sure we get recruitment right. That’s such a vital part of running a football club, getting that right.’

Bellingham was given a tour of United’s Carrington training ground prior to joining Borussia Dortmund in 2020, with even Sir Alex Ferguson involved in the meeting. Now he has become one of the most valuable players in world football. 

The name of Kylian Mbappe came up later in the podcast and Ratcliffe said that as good as the Paris Saint-Germain striker is right now, he wants to take a different path with United.

‘I would rather find the next Mbappe,’ he said. ‘Rather than spend a fortune to buy success. It’s not that clever to go and sign Mbappe, anyone could figure that one out.

Ratcliffe is focused on finding the next Mbappe, rather than the current one

Ten Hag, if he remains in charge, will need reinforcements

Rather than getting Erik ten Hag (right) Kylian Mbappe (left), Ratcliffe wants to find the next big superstar and nurture them as a young player, instead of spending a fortune on a player

Ratcliffe (right) was speaking to cycling star Geraint Thomas (middle) on the rider's podcast

Ratcliffe (right) was speaking to cycling star Geraint Thomas (middle) on the rider’s podcast

‘What’s more challenging is to find the next Mbappe, the next Bellingham, the next Roy Keane.’

United did not make a single signing in January and it is understood that come the summer there will be a focus on landing young homegrown talents. 

Ratcliffe, Brailsford and the rest of the football operations team, which will include incoming CEO Omar Berrada, have the task of overhauling an underperforming squad.

In January there were a host of exits for the likes of Donny van de Beek (Eintracht Frankfurt, loan), Jadon Sancho (Borussia Dortmund, loan), Facundo Pellistri (Granada, loan) and Isak Hansen-Aaroen was sold to Werder Bremen for an undisclosed fee.

Paul Scholes is the type of player this current Man United need the most, claims Ratcliffe

Paul Scholes is the type of player this current Man United need the most, claims Ratcliffe

And so whether Erik ten Hag is still in charge or not there are signings that need to be made to help United bridge the gap to title-chasing Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal. 

Asked which former United great he would bring into the current team in their prime, Ratcliffe did not even hesitate. 

‘Paul Scholes I’d bring in. That’s the player that is most missing,’ he said. 

‘They are not Roy Keane but they have Casemiro and Kobbie Mainoo, they are more defensive. They don’t have a Scholes, an (Anders) Iniesta.’ 

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