Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Dan Ashworth verdict as Man Utd target Newcastle United transfer chief

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been officially confirmed as a partial owner of Manchester United - and he has been speaking about his plans for the club.

The announcement was made on Tuesday night, ending months of speculation and reports about the club’s future. The Glazers announced in November 2022 that they were considering ‘strategic alternatives, including new investment into the club, a sale, or other transactions’. That saga has concluded with Ratcliffe buying a partial stake in the club of just over 25 percent, and the six Glazers siblings remaining as co-owners.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been meeting the media today. These are some of the main points addressed:

Sir Jim Ratcliffe on interest in Dan Ashworth

"I think Dan Ashworth is a 10/10 sporting director - one of the best around. He would be very good for Manchester United. It is understandable that somebody like Dan would see the Manchester United job as a very interesting challenge at this stage of his career.

"Ultimately, you can't really criticise Dan for looking at maybe the most coveted job in football as a sporting director - particularly with the challenge at Manchester United. What doesn't make sense is for Dan Ashworth to be sat doing nothing for 18 months."

Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Manchester United recruitment plans

"Ultimately the level we want to get Manchester United to is not the level we are at. That takes time. It's not just about players, it is the whole machine. There are thousands of people in that machine and we need to get that machine working really well.

"We need to be as good as anyone else in the game at recruitment and we haven't been. FFP is a new element in football and a really important part of managing a football club well. We will assess how much money we have available and use it well. We have to find the best people in the world, ensure they have the right character and personality, and create the right environment for elite sportspeople to be successful. All we're doing is trying to drive performance on the pitch."

Sir Jim Ratcliffe message to Man City and Liverpool

"When Manchester City played Real Madrid at home and won 4-0 last season [in the Champions League semi], that was the best football I have ever seen. If we can ever get to that point, it would be a great achievement.

"In the north west we have two neighbours who are really impressive football clubs. I want to knock them all off their perch. We are friends in the sense we're all in the north west but they are our biggest enemies. They are clearly our biggest competitors in the UK. [We are] a long way behind. It's not going to change tomorrow. People unfortunately need to give us time to get back. It will be two to three seasons. Patience is needed. Spending money lavishly in the summer is not the solution, it is much more complicated than that."