Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to increase presence at Man Utd in contrast to Glazers’ actions

Sir Jim Ratcliffe plans to attend Manchester United’s Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend, the first match he will be present at since agreeing to purchase a 25 percent stake in the Red Devils.

It was announced on Christmas Eve that Ratcliffe, the lead shareholder of Ineos, had reached an agreement with the Glazers, although it will take several weeks before he officially becomes a custodian of the club due to the Premier League’s Owners' and Directors' Test.

For now, Ratcliffe has been getting to know the inner workings of his boyhood club, with the British billionaire visiting Old Trafford and Carrington last week. An Ineos delegation spent three days in Manchester on a fact-finding mission, with Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc also in attendance.

The pair were at United’s FA Cup win over Wigan Athletic on Monday night, with Brailsford also attending all three United matches since the agreement was reached on Christmas Eve, including the fixtures against Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Ratcliffe hopes to make his first appearance at a United match on Sunday, when Tottenham come to Old Trafford, although one source told ManchesterWorld those plans are ‘not completely set in stone yet’. It's understood the 71-year-old aims to attend matches on a semi-regular basis, although not as frequently as Brailsford, who will devote his full focus to the day-to-day activities at United.

Ratcliffe's decision to attend the match is also in direct contrast to the Glazers’ handing of the club, with none of the family members present at an Old Trafford since 2019, despite their hands-on approach to running of NFL side Tampay Bay Buccaneers. However, Avram Glazer did make three trips to Wembley last season for finals involving the men's and womens’ sides.

Ineos will take over the running of football operations when their 25 percent stake in the club is ratified, with Brailsford and Blanc to take seats on the club’s board and John Reece and Rob Nevin of Ineos set to become members of the PLC board.

In the meantime, United could strengthen their Champions League aspirations with victory over Tottenham on Sunday. The Red Devils currently sit eighth in the Premier League, three places behind Spurs, and trail the top-four spots by nine points.