‘Autonomy’ - How Sir Jim Ratcliffe operates businesses amid Man Utd takeover links

Manchester United are said to be subject to takeover interest as the chaos continues on and off the field at Old Trafford.

United have struggled over recent years, and fans are furious with the Glazer ownership group over the club’s spending habits in recent years.

The Red Devils fans, or at least a large chunk of them, want the Glazers out, but the Americans are not particularly inclined to sell.

In the meantime, UK billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is once again being linked with a takeover approach, with United not willing to comment on the speculation at the moment.

“If the club is for sale, Jim is definitely a potential buyer,” Ratcliffe’s spokesperson told The Times. “If something like this was possible, we would be interested in talking with a view to long-term ownership.”

Ratcliffe is worth just under three times what the Glazers are, with his net worth totalling around $13billion.

But Ratcliffe’s net worth won’t be the only concern for United fans, who want to see their club run in a much better manner.

Clearly, Ratcliffe has been a huge success in his business dealings, becoming Britain’s richest man along the way.

But it seems he trusts his people on the ground to make the best decisions when it comes to his businesses.

Speaking about how Ratcliffe and his team operate businesses, INEOS CEO Tom Tritton said in 2013: “We are more like a federation of businesses. We give our businesses a lot of autonomy.

“We give our management and chief executives a lot of autonomy and independence.

“That’s why people in INEOS behave, I hope, more like owners than employees. And it hopefully generates that spirit of entrepreneurship, being nimble and making quick decisions.”

That could be seen as good or bad news for United, whose CEOs have repeatedly made poor decisions.

But they also need an owner who won’t be afraid to shake things up when the business - and the club - is not performing as it should.