Gary Lineker has just made claim about Manchester United and Jim Ratcliffe takeover

Gary Lineker has given his verdict on speculation that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is about to become an investor in Manchester United.

The former Tottenham Hotspur striker has asked whether things are really going to change at United anytime soon.

So, what has Gary Lineker said about the Manchester United takeover and Sir Jim Ratcliffe? Let’s take a look.

Well, according to The Sun, Sir Jim Ratcliffe is about to come into Manchester United as an investor. 

The report in the British tabloid has claimed that the Ineos chief will buy 25% of “United next week and will immediately take over football operations”. Graham Potter has been linked with the managerial role.

Former Tottenham Hotspur striker and Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker does not think that it is going to change much at Old Trafford, noting that recruiting top players takes time.

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Lineker said on The Rest is Football podcast: “I mean, Ratcliffe is supposedly coming in, it’s supposed to be quite imminent and Brailsford is supposed to be coming in, but it’s hard to envisage it changing it that much, really.

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“Because if you look at them now, how many players do they need to change things? Half the team?

“That takes time, that takes money and it takes good recruitment which is the same with any club, whatever your budget is.

“Their’s has been pretty big but it just shows you how big recruitment is and getting it right.”

Manchester United cannot be a ‘project club’

I understand that it can take time to get things right at a club. Pep Guardiola did not win the Premier League title in his first season in charge of Manchester City. It took the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss a while to guide the Citizens to UEFA Champions League success as well.

However, Manchester United cannot be a ‘project club’. They are arguably the biggest club in England that were Premier League titles year after year under Sir Alex Ferguson.

I believe that United cannot just afford another two or three-year rebuild. They have to start focusing on winning the league title rightaway.

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