David Beckham is optimistic that minority owner Jim Ratcliffe will help turn Manchester United’s fortunes around, but he acknowledges that it will take time to return to the “good old days.”
British billionaire Ratcliffe’s INEOS group took control of the club’s football operations earlier this year, but United’s start to the new season has been underwhelming as they try to build on last year’s FA Cup success. Manager Erik ten Hag is under pressure, with United sitting 14th in the Premier League after seven games and winless in two Europa League fixtures.
Beckham, who won six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the Champions League during his time at United, believes fans need to be patient with Ratcliffe and his team. Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in United from the Glazers in February. The American owners have been widely unpopular with fans ever since their leveraged takeover in 2005 saddled the club with significant debt.
Speaking on the *Rio Ferdinand Presents* podcast, Beckham said the club needed a change and a “fresh perspective.”
“I really like Jim,” Beckham said. “I’ve met him a few times over the years through mutual friends, and I think he’s a fan. He’s also a great businessman, one of the best and biggest. But more importantly, the fans see that he cares, and I think that’s a big part of it. The fans had lost faith in the leadership over the years, and it’s clear he really cares about what he wants to do and what he wants to create.”
He continued: “Hopefully, things will change, but these things take time. I think we’ve been quite patient as United fans over the years, but we want those good old days back. We want those days back, and the sooner the better.”
Beckham, who has been the president of MLS side Inter Miami since its founding in 2018, added that he looked to his former Manchester United manager, Alex Ferguson, for guidance when starting the club. Inter Miami, who signed Lionel Messi last year, won this season’s MLS Supporters’ Shield for the best regular-season record and will be aiming for their first championship as the playoffs approach later this month.
“I went to him once and said to him, ‘I’m starting this team, how would you run it?’,” he said.
“And he sat me down for a couple of hours and he told me what I should do and what players I should be looking for and how I should run the academy.
“And that’s really what I’ve tried to do. And then I also learnt from people like (Real Madrid president) Florentino Perez. You know, with Florentino, he has this crazy vision of always bringing the greatest players to the club and building this unbelievable stadium.”
United host mid-table Brentford on Saturday, seeking their first win in the Premier League since mid-September.
