Ratcliffe reveals Man Utd's transfer plans with Bellingham and Mbappe comment

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 19 Mar 2024 22:43 GMT
• 4 min read

New Manchester United owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed that he wants to bring the glamour back to Old Trafford.

The Red Devils have endured a decade of frustration and, though they are into the FA Cup semi-finals, Erik ten Hag’s side are well off the pace in the Premier League.

In an exciting message to supporters, he promised more bling-bling around the first team in the months and years to come.

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“With United there's always been a bit of glamour. The likes of Best, Charlton, Cantona the King, it's something we should never forget, it's an element of United. We're a bit thin on glamour over the last decade,” he admitted to the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast.

But while Ratcliffe did seem to promise major signings on one hand, he was far more conservative when it was put to him about the chances of signing a Kylian Mbappe or a Jude Bellingham.

“I'd rather find the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune trying to buy success. It's not that clever, is it? Buying Mbappe, in a way. It’s much more challenging is to find the next Mbappe or Bellingham,” he said of the PSG and Real Madrid stars.

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“It’s not where our focus is, the solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that over the last 10 years. 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's such a vital part of running a club today.”

Ratcliffe’s comments leave it open to interpretation how he and Man Utd will proceed in the transfer window this summer, but there is no doubt that the Old Trafford club will be active as they try to restore the club to some of its former glory as rapidly as possible.

Ratcliffe picks Man Utd great he’d love to sign

Ratcliffe also picked out two legends that he feels would transform the current team at their peak.

Ratcliffe has picked out two midfielders he believes could lift the current Red Devils to a new level, with one a favourite of the Old Trafford crowd and the other a modern great.

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He revealed that he feels Paul Scholes, who turned out for Man Utd on 718 occasions between 1994 and 2013 is just the type of player that the current team needs.

He was asked which Red Devils legend would he bring back in their prime into the current team and replied: “Paul Scholes. I think that's the player that's most missing. Casemiro and Mainoo are sort of quite defensive midfielders, but they don't have a Scholes or an Iniesta.”

So Man Utd fans can, at least, expect to sign a midfielder in the mould of Scholes this summer.