Sir Jim Ratcliffe told to stop chasing money at Man Utd and focus on trophies as ex-Red Devils striker questions INEOS and the Glazers' intentions

Under legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, United established domestic and continental dominance. When bidding farewell to an iconic coach in 2013, the Red Devils had 13 Premier League titles and a couple of Champions League triumphs on their history-making roll of honour.

City have since taken their collection of English top-flight crowns to eight - in the modern era - and conquered Europe as part of their own Treble success in 2022-23. With Pep Guardiola at the helm, they have turned Manchester from a shade of red into one of sky blue.

United have spent more than a decade toiling to get back on top, with little return being seen on big investment in the transfer market. Questions have continued to be asked of those in the boardroom, with Ratcliffe and INEOS doing little to calm the anti-Glazer sentiment.

The Red Devils remain a big draw, and one of the most powerful sporting enterprises on the planet, and Rossi believes that will stand them in good stead. Progress of sorts has been made recently under interim head coach Michael Carrick, with a top-four finish back on the cards at Old Trafford.

Pressed on whether United can overtake City in the next five years and reclaim bragging rights in Manchester, Rossi - speaking in association with talkSPORT Bet Online Slots - told GOAL ofissues that need to be addressed off the field: “That's interesting. You know, do the owners of Manchester United care about being the biggest trophy-wise, title-wise, or the biggest revenue-wise? 

“There's two different ways of looking at it. For people who care about football, it's all about the titles, it's all about winning, it's all about being the best. Football has changed. It's all about the dollar signs outside of football first. And, you know, they are the top dog. They're still the top dog, I think, right? In global football, if not, they're second to Real Madrid or Barcelona or whatever. 

“So what do they care about the most? The fans, they care about the titles. I care about the titles. I'm sure the players care about the titles, and rightfully so. It should be about that. And we shall see. We shall see if that's something that the front office is going to transmit to these players and how we want to get back to winning titles instead of being the highest revenue-generating team in the world.”

Quizzed on whether United will become a go-to destination for the world’s best players again - as they were when he represented them alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney - Rossi added: “I think they still are. I think people still dream about playing for Man United. It is the biggest club in the world. So whenever there's that chance, I feel like they're able to attract.

“Manchester United, I feel like, is always a destination for the best players, for the young players. It's still the best club in the world. They just need to get back on track when it comes to results. 

“This year, they're doing a great job with Carrick, filling in for [Ruben] Amorim and being able to find an identity again, being able to find the Manchester United way. People are always talking about certain goals that have been scored that look like the old way of playing in the Fergie days. And once you find that identity, I feel like you can build upon it. 

“And this year, they have to be realistic that their goal is to find European football again, Champions League football again. And I think they're on a good path of doing so. And yeah, the next year, they're able to build something, have continuity, hopefully with Carrick and get back to winning. They certainly appear to be on the right path again, United.”

Since Ferguson retired, United have won two FA Cups, the League Cup on a couple of occasions, the Community Shield twice and the Europa League. Over the same period of time, City have collected 21 trophies.

Guardiola has his team in the hunt for four honours this season - at home and abroad - while the Red Devils hit a 111-year low when bowing out of both domestic cup competitions at the first hurdle and have had no European football on their agenda in 2025-26.