Jim Ratcliffe explains Man Utd 'issue' and fires warning to Man City after London Marathon
Manchester United minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe fired a stern warning to rivals Manchester City moments after he finished the London Marathon. The 71-year-old beat his personal best by two minutes, running in four hours, 30 minutes and 52 seconds and now faces a race against the clock to be in attendance for the Red Devils' FA Cup semi-final against Coventry.
Related articles Erik Ten Hag ‘tests emergency Man Utd centre-back’ as injuries cause havoc Erik ten Hag 'ready to walk out on Man Utd' as Sir Jim Ratcliffe given ultimatumRatcliffe hopes to arrive at the national stadium in time to watch the second half after taking on the mammoth task of a marathon, though the INEOS chief did previously admit to taking part in over 40 in his life.
After crossing the finish line his attention soon turned to United, the club he owns 27.7 per cent of after his £1.31bn purchase was ratified by the Premier League in February, in their must-win cup tie with Championship outfit Coventry.
A place in the final against local rivals City await United should they have enough to progress against Mark Robins' side. Ratcliffe is aware that his team would come into a final as underdogs, but insisted that he plans to change that viewpoint sooner rather than later.
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe had some choice words for rivals Manchester City. (Image: Getty) Stay up-to-date with the latest Man Utd news Join us on WhatsAppOur community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
"About four and a half (hours), something like that," Ratcliffe told the BBC shortly after finishing the marathon. "At my age that's probably okay. I've got to be quick, I need to be there (Wembley) at half-time. Man City are in the final again, it would be great (to reach the final). We would definitely be the underdogs. Not for long, though!
"There are some parallels (between marathon running and football), I have to say, but it just requires some grit. Always in a marathon after 30k it gets difficult and I don't think we are at 30k with football yet.
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"With football, you get these new really capable people to come into the team but they are all on gardening leave so it takes months to bring people in. It's a real issue. They can't work for us and the fans are impatient. Whether people like it or not, they have to be patient. You can't just turn it around, it takes time."
Ratcliffe has wasted little time in overhauling the backroom staff at Old Trafford, where head coach Erik ten Hag remains under pressure after an underwhelming season.
New CEO Omar Berrada is set to join from City alongside technical director Jason Wilcox who will be in attendance at Wembley. United hope the pair can be joined by Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth, who remains on gardening leave while the two teams discuss a compensation package.
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Jim Ratcliffe explains Man Utd 'issue' and fires warning to Man City after London Marathon
Jim Ratcliffe explains Man Utd 'issue' and fires warning to Man City after London Marathon
Jim Ratcliffe explains Man Utd 'issue' and fires warning to Man City after London Marathon
Jim Ratcliffe explains Man Utd 'issue' and fires warning to Man City after London Marathon
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