LONDON, Oct 17 — David Beckham is hopeful that minority owner Jim Ratcliffe will turn Manchester United’s fortunes around but says it will take time to return to the “good old days”.
British billionaire Ratcliffe’s INEOS took charge of the club’s football operations earlier this year but United have had an underwhelming start to the new campaign as they look to build on last year’s FA Cup success.
Pressure has mounted on manager Erik ten Hag, 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 playing career with United, believes fans will need to be patient with Ratcliffe and his team.
Ratcliffe bought a minority stake in United from owners the Glazers in February.
The Americans have been deeply unpopular with supporters ever since a leveraged takeover of the club in 2005 saddled the club with huge debts.
Beckham said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast that the club had needed change and a “fresh perspective”.
“I really like Jim,” he said. “I’ve met him a few times over the years with a few mutual friends and I think that he’s a fan and obviously he’s a great businessman as well, one of the best and one of the biggest.
“But I think more importantly the fans see that he cares, and I think that’s a big part of it. I think obviously the fans had lost faith with the leadership over the years and obviously he really cares about what he wants to do and what he wants to create.
“So, hopefully, things will change but these things take time.
“I think we have 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 has been president of MLS side Inter Miami since it was founded in 2018.
Inter Miami, who signed Lionel Messi last year, have won this season’s MLS Supporters’ Shield — awarded to the team with the best regular season record — and will be targeting their first championship when the play-offs start later this month.
Beckham said he looked to his old Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson for guidance when founding the club.
“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. — AFP
