Gary Neville on what Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already doing at Man Utd which is 'really important'

Gary Neville insists Sir Jim Ratcliffe's mere presence at Manchester United's meeting with Tottenham should encourage supporters that better days are coming.

Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford on Sunday for United's huge Premier League clash at home to Spurs, sitting alongside iconic former manager Sir Alex Ferguson. It was the first game attended by the INEOS chief since confirmation came of his £1.03billion investment into the club.

Ratcliffe will take charge of footballing operations once his 25 per cent stake is fully ratified by the Premier League and supporters will hope for a major increase in influence, compared to current owners the Glazer family.

Asked if he feels more positive now with Ratcliffe in the mix, Neville, who was on commentary duty during the game, replied: "You have to feel more optimistic, he's present which is really important. Obviously there will be changes, particularly on the football side, which have been needed for very many years."

Ratcliffe is already making his presence felt around the club, having held meetings with club staff and manager Erik ten Hag. Sir Dave Brailsford has also been a regular presence around Carrington as he carries out an audit of the entire club.

The new investor looks set to make some major hires above Ten Hag, with chief executive Richard Arnold already leaving his role and sporting director John Murtough expected to follow.

Newcastle's Dan Ashworth is thought to be top of the list for the latter role, but the likes of Julian Ward, Michael Edwards and Paul Mitchell have also been linked.

Ratcliffe will hope to end a dismal period at United in which they have not won a Premier League title since Ferguson's retirement in 2013. Ten Hag won the Carabao Cup last year but silverware does not look likely this season.

The Dutchman has come under increasing pressure after what has been the worst start to a campaign since 1930. United have already been knocked out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup and are way off the Premier League's top-four.