Skip to main content
Manchester Evening News

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford are doing what was expected at Manchester United

Leading Ineos members have attended several Man United fixtures since their investment in the club was confirmed.

Sir David Brailsford is pointed out something by Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Stamford Bridge.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe (right) and Sir David Brailsford have been present at matches.(Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images.)

Not since April 2019 have Joel and Avram Glazer been pictured attending a Manchester United fixture together.

On that occasion, the United co-chairmen watched the Reds lose 1-0 to Barcelona in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final at Old Trafford. The elder of the two siblings, Avram, has attended fixtures more recently, including last month's FA Cup semi-final victory over Coventry City at Wembley, but they have been few and far between.


Their failure to regularly attend fixtures has been heavily criticised by United supporters. They have refused to be seen as often as they should have been.


READ MORE: 'Big expectation, big success' - Thomas Tuchel knows what it takes to be United manager

READ MORE: United captain Bruno Fernandes sends perfect message to Jadon Sancho

The same cannot be said about members of the Ineos Group. Ever since the petrochemical giant confirmed it had agreed a deal to secure a stake in United on Christmas Eve, their presence at United fixtures has been there for all to see.

Article continues below

Sir Dave Brailsford has attended several fixtures, Sir Jim Ratcliffe has put in an appearance at a handful of games, including at Wembley a few weeks ago, and Jean-Claude Blanc was spotted in attendance against Wigan Athletic and most recently Crystal Palace. Ratcliffe and Brailsford also attended the memorial service at Old Trafford for the 66th anniversary of the Munich air disaster in February.

By being present, it shows supporters that the powers that be both care and are fully invested. Ratcliffe, along with Brailsford, is determined to have as much input as possible into the day-to-day running of the club.

That, however, should not come as any great surprise. Last year, former Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel offered an insight into just how hands-on the duo want to be, confirming they want to be present and lead from the front.


"One of the biggest reasons that I joined Nice was because of Ineos and because of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, their vision and how they want to evolve their sports," the Dane told Sky Sports. "Because they've been successful, not just in business, but in every other sporting venture they've thrown their investment at.

"He has people like Dave Brailsford working for him, who again, are present and I think that's the main thing with any club I've played at, look at Leicester, for example, the owners are present and there is not a divide."

Throughout the Glazers' tenure, there has been a divide between themselves and the fans, hence why so many of them demanded for a full sale. Ratcliffe has wasted no time in trying to rebuild the connection between the club and its supporters, both by being present at matches and via other communication methods.

Article continues below

That relationship will be key to success being achieved and both Brailsford's and Ratcliffe's actions are proving Schmeichel right in next to no time.

Follow Manchester Evening News:


Manchester United FCThe GlazersSir Jim RatcliffeDave Brailsford
reach logo

At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.