Ratcliffe said “Ashworth is clearly one of top sporting directors in the world…. You can understand why Dan would be interested because it’s the ultimate challenge.” However, he said it would be “a bit silly” if it took £20million to secure Ashworth’s services, and added: “What I do think is completely absurd is suggesting that a man who’s really good at his job, sits in his garden for one and a half years.”
Admitting United has failed previous managers
Ratcliffe said it would be “inappropriate” for him to pass comment on Ten Hag’s record but felt he and his predecessors were not working in the best possible structure.
“If you look at the 11 years that have gone since (former chief executive) David Gill and Sir Alex have stepped down, there have been a whole series of coaches, some of which were very good,” Ratcliffe said. And none of them were successful, or survived for very long. And you can’t blame all the coaches.
“The only conclusion you can draw is that the environment in which they were working, didn’t work. And Erik has been in that environment. I’m talking about the organisation, the people in the structure, and the atmosphere in the club. We have to do that bit. So I’m not really focused on the coach. I’m focused on getting that bit (the structure) right. And it’s not for me to judge that anyway – I’m not a football professional.”
Finding the next Eric Cantona or George Best
Ratcliffe was sitting in front a red United No 7 shirt. It appeared to be from the David Beckham era, but Ratcliffe said the No 7 was Cantona’s. United, he then explained, should always have a lynchpin on the pitch.
“There has always been a bit of glamour attached to Manchester United, which has been lacking a bit in the last few years. You’ve had George Best, Bobby Charlton, Eric the King [Cantona] for a while. But there’s always been a bit of a glamour attached to this Manchester United brand and that is quite important.
“At the end of the day we are in the entertainment business…We are cognisant of that fact you do need a bit of glamour in this.”
Restructuring the Nice board to keep Uefa happy
After Telegraph Sport reported how Ineos could surrender direct day-to-day involvement at Nice, Ratcliffe said he was “crystal clear” that United’s status in European competition would not be in conflict with Uefa’s multi-club ownership rules.
“There are no circumstances upon which an ownership of Nice would prevent Manchester United from playing in the Champions League – I’ll be crystal clear on that,” he said. “Because we would have to find a solution. The rules are changing, and the rules are shades of grey, not black and white. We have spoken to UEFA and I have to say the conversation wasn’t directed at ‘you have to solve this problem and we don’t like it’.
“We might have to change some things but what UEFA recognises is that the multi-club model, in many circumstances, benefits the smaller club quite a lot.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
