'Hope they don't find anything dodgy' - Sir Jim Ratcliffe calls Man Utd investment 'most exciting thing I've done' & reveals how often he'll attend games as he awaits ratification of £1.25bn minority stake

Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford for United's Premier League game with Tottenham, the first fixture he has attended since agreeing to buy a 25 percent stake in the club for £1.25 billion ($1.59 bn), in exchange for taking control of the football operation.

"I've done a few exciting things but this caps it all. There's no question about that," Ratcliffe told reporters before the game. "We've been interested in being involved for three or four years, we had a few tries along the road that didn't work out but these things quite often happen and it all turned out well in the end."

Ratcliffe's INEOS firm beat off competition from Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani to buy a stake in United, which was finally confirmed on Christmas Eve. However, the deal must still be ratified by the Premier League and will be subject to financial regulations. Ratcliffe said the deal should be made official by "early to mid-February, fingers crossed." He added: "We hope they don't find anything dodgy."

Ratcliffe, who grew up on a council estate in Failsworth in the north of Manchester and supported United as a child, said Eric Cantona was his favourite player. He attended the 1999 Champions League final at Camp Nou, when United snatched a 2-1 victory over Bayern Munich with two goals in added time.

Ratcliffe has met United manager Erik ten Hag and some members of the squad as well as the women's team but will hold more meetings once his 25 percent stake is confirmed. He said he would not be able to attend every home game due to his other business commitments but pledged "I'll come quite a lot".