'Knock them off their perch!' - Sir Jim Ratcliffe channels Sir Alex Ferguson in threat to rivals Liverpool & Man City...but new Man Utd shareholder risks fan wrath by defending Glazers

Rashford gave a series of interviews on Wednesday after finally completing his purchase of a 25 percent stake in United. As well as addressing the future of Mason Greenwood, Ratcliffe vowed to restore United to their former glories and chase down local rivals City and Liverpool.

"In the north west we have two neighbours who are really impressive football clubs. I want to knock them all off their perch," Ratcliffe told the BBC. "We are friends in the sense we're all in the north west but they are our biggest enemies. They are clearly our biggest competitors in the UK. [We are] a long way behind. It's not going to change tomorrow. People unfortunately need to give us time to get back. It will be two to three seasons. Patience is needed. Spending money lavishly in the summer is not the solution, it is much more complicated than that."

Ferguson famously said his greatest achievement as United manager was "knocking Liverpool off their perch" after ending almost two decades of dominance from the Red Devils' greatest rivals. Since retiring in 2013, City have overtaken United as the premier force in Manchester while Liverpool have staged a resurgence, winning the Champions League in 2019 and the Premier League in 2020. They currently lead the Premier League title race, closely followed by City and Arsenal, with United way back in sixth.

To buy his stake in United, Ratcliffe had to beat off competition from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, who was only interested in purchasing the club outright. Ratcliffe's deal instead allowed the much-hated Glazer family to remain in control of the club. And the INEOS chief risked the wrath of supporters by calling the Glazers "very nice people." He added: "I only know Joel and Avram and they are, despite what you might read in the press, very nice people, very courteous and they are avid supporters of Manchester United. I understand the frustrations and the anger [of supporters] but I am looking forward not backward."

Ratcliffe has already appointed a new CEO by hiring Omar Berrada from City. His next task is to hire a new sporting director and Dan Ashworth is his top target, who he rated as "ten out of ten". He also wants to accelerate plans to improve Old Trafford and has got Gary Neville on board as an advisor in that regard.