'Not clever buying Kylian Mbappe' - Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'won't spend a fortune' to bring Man Utd success as he reveals plan to sign 'the next Jude Bellingham or Roy Keane'

After seeing Britain's richest man acquire a 25 per cent stake in the Red Devils, supporters at Old Trafford were hoping that an elaborate recruitment drive would be on the cards in the summer of 2024. That is unlikely to be the case, despite top targets being identified, with a more considered approach to squad building being adopted.

Ratcliffe has told Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast when asked if he would rather sign Mbappe for United or superstar cyclist Tadej Pogacar for his INEOS racing team: “I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success. It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Jude Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”

Ratcliffe added when quizzed on whether he would consider an approach for England star Bellingham, who is currently shining at Real Madrid after snubbing previous advances from the Red Devils: “He is a great footballer. It’s not where our focus is, the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They have done that, if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players. The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club. And make sure we get recruitment right, it is such a vital part of football today.”

Ratcliffe is eager to point out that United will be heading down a “longer road” back to former glories, with there no plans to throw money at problems and risk further regression in an era of inconsistency under the unpopular Glazer family ownership team.