Ratcliffe needs time to transform Man Utd – David Beckham

David Beckham remains confident that Jim Ratcliffe, the minority owner of Manchester United, can guide the club back to its former greatness, though he acknowledges that the process will take time.

Ratcliffe’s INEOS group took control of the football operations earlier this year, but Manchester United has faced a rocky start to the season.

Despite last year’s FA Cup victory, the team is currently struggling, sitting 14th in the Premier League and winless in two Europa League matches, increasing the pressure on manager Erik ten Hag.

Beckham, a United legend who secured six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, and the Champions League during his time at the club, empathizes with the frustrations of the fanbase.

However, he encourages supporters to remain patient as Ratcliffe works to turn things around. Ratcliffe, a British billionaire, purchased a minority stake in the club from the Glazer family in February.

The Glazers, who took control of the club in a leveraged buyout in 2005, have long been unpopular among fans due to the significant debt their ownership left behind.

Beckham’s trust in Ratcliffe’s potential to revive Manchester United speaks to his understanding of the challenges involved in rebuilding a football giant.

Beckham said on the Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast that the club had needed change and a “fresh perspective”.

“I really like Jim,” he said. “I’ve met him a few times over the years with a few mutual friends and I think that he’s a fan and obviously he’s a great businessman as well, one of the best and one of the biggest.

“But I think more importantly the fans see that he cares, and I think that’s a big part of it. I think obviously the fans had lost faith with the leadership over the years and obviously he really cares about what he wants to do and what he wants to create.

“So, hopefully, things will change but these things take time.

“I think we have been quite patient as United fans over the years but we want those good old days back. We want those days back and the sooner the better.”

Inter Miami, who signed Lionel Messi last year, have won this season’s MLS Supporters’ Shield — awarded to the team with the best regular season record — and will be targeting their first championship when the play-offs start later this month.

Beckham said he looked to his old Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson for guidance when founding the club.

“I went to him once and said to him, ‘I’m starting this team, how would you run it?’,” he said.

“And he sat me down for a couple of hours and he told me what I should do and what players I should be looking for and how I should run the academy.

“And that’s really what I’ve tried to do. And then I also learnt from people like (Real Madrid president) Florentino Perez. You know, with Florentino, he has this crazy vision of always bringing the greatest players to the club and building this unbelievable stadium.”

United host mid-table Brentford on Saturday, seeking their first win in the Premier League since mid-September.