"That's the player that's most missing" - Sir Jim Ratcliffe snubs Cristiano Ronaldo as he names ex-Manchester United star he wants in current team
Sir Jim Ratcliffe believes the current Manchester United squad needs someone like Paul Scholes more than Cristiano Ronaldo. He thinks the midfield needs a player who is not defensive-minded like Kobbie Mainoo and Casemiro.
Speaking during the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast, the new Manchester United stakeholder claimed that a player like Scholes or Andres Iniesta would be perfect for the current squad. He said:
"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."
Manchester United have signed Sofyan Amrabat on loan from Fiorentina while having Christian Eriksen. The duo have neither managed to seal their place in the starting XI nor remained fit for the entire season.
Manchester United need to change recruitment style, claims Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Manchester United are no longer looking to sign players like Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed that they need to figure out how to spot the next big players in the world of football and not spend big on the established stars. He added:
"I think in a way what I would rather do is try to sign the next Mbappé than spend a fortune trying to buy success. It's not that clever buying Mbappé, anyone can figure that one out. What's much more challenging is to find the next Mbappé or [Jude] Bellingham or Roy Keane."
Ratcliffe went on to claim that the Red Devils have not been able to get the right players over the last decade. He believes that it was all down to the recruitment team, saying:
"The solution isn't spending a lot of money on a couple of great players. They've done that if you look at what they've done the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players. The first thing you need to do is get the right people in the right boxes managing the club and make sure we get recruitment right, that's such a vital part of a football club, getting recruitment right."
The Red Devils are in talks with Newcastle United to sign Dan Ashworth as their sporting director. They wanted Michael Edwards, but he chose to return to Liverpool.