Sir Jim Ratcliffe reveals the one Man United manager he would NOT have hired – and claims ex-boss didn’t have the ‘personality’ to lead big players

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed that he would not have replaced legendary Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson with David Moyes, had he been owner 12 years ago.

Back in 2013, Ferguson provided United with a farewell gift of their 20th English league title, and his 13th, before riding into the sunset after 26 years of service.

Moyes then took the reigns, with the approval of the managerial legend, and was deemed ‘The Chosen One’ by many United supporters. However, the Scot only last 10 months in the role before being sacked by the Glazer family before the end of the 2013-14 season.

The Red Devils have failed to get their hands on the Premier League trophy ever-since. 11 years on, the club are in free-fall and looking at the prospect of missing out on Europe altogether, let alone fighting for titles.

Ratcliffe and his Ineos ownership group pruchased a minority stake in the club back in February 2024, nearly a decade after Moyes’ dismissal, and have been criticised by fans for a series of their own decisions.

However, while still trying to get his own ship in order, in an interview with The Times, Ratcliffe has fired shots at the Glazers decision to appoint Moyes, saying that it would not have happened under his watch.

David Moyes was appointed as his fellow Scot’s replacement, with the blessing from Ferguson himself

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has admitted he would not have appointed Moyes had he been in charge at the time

‘Look, I like David Moyes, and I think he’s a really good manager, but to go from Sir Alex Ferguson to Moyes is not where I would have gone,’ said Ratcliffe.

‘Moyes stepped into the shoes of Ferguson, who’s won the Premier League 13 times, who won the Champions League twice and then you’re handing over to a guy that has never managed big players and had never won anything. 

‘He’s not necessarily got the personality to stand in front of them all. And I don’t think Real Madrid would have made that choice as coach.

‘If you look at coaches, a club can’t always get it right, but they should have found the best chief executive in the world, and the best coach in the world, because Manchester United is the best club in the world. Instead they got both of those decisions wrong.’ 

Moyes’ time at the club was a disaster. He was sacked after 11 Premier League defeats left United 13 points off of the Champions League places, and they had also been knocked out of both domestic competitions as well as Europe.

It was the start of a slippery slope for United, who had won the Premier League 13 times in 20 years before the Scot came through the door.

The Glazers have been blamed by supporters for a series of reckless financial decisions ever since, with protests seemingly taking place every season outside Old Trafford in a bid to oust the family.

Ratcliffe may work with them, but during his talk with The Times, he was not shy of taking aim at how they have run the club, saying they have made a ‘complete cock-up’ of their time as owners.

Moyes was deemed as ‘The Chosen One’ by fans in a nod to Ferguson’s approval of the move

Moyes had a disastrous time at United and was sacked after 10 months in charge of the club

Ratcliffe has taken aim at the way Joel (right) and Avram (left) Glazer ran the club before him

The 72-year-old believes that United have fallen because they have been ‘poorly managed’ compared to clubs such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, who have stayed at the top.

However, while he has taken several shots at the management over the last decade, and longer, Ratcliffe still had time to speak fondly of both Avram and Joel Glazer, the two who were previously in charge of day-to-day operations.

‘So, in my mind, we have a very professional partnership with the Glazer family,’ continued Ratcliffe. ‘But have you met them? They’re really honest, and straightforward, not what you expect when you read about them in the press.

‘And they’re both [Avram and Joel] passionate about Manchester United. I like them as people — to be honest, they could have given us a bloody hard time, couldn’t they, after we cocked up with Dan Ashworth and Erik ten Hag? Could have, but didn’t.’

It is the second time in a week that Ratcliffe has spoken to the press regarding mismanagement at the football club.

United have made a number of distressing financial moves under the Briton in an attempt to cut costs as they create more financial wriggle room.

United have made 250 members of staff redundant, and this week announced that 200 more jobs could be at risk as part of savage cuts aimed at bringing financial stability to the club.

In a brutally frank series of interviews on Monday, the minority owner defended some of his decisions and claimed that United could have gone bust by Christmas had he not slashed costs.

Ratcliffe also took part in a series of brutally honest interviews with the media on Monday 

United unveiled plans to build a stunning new Old Trafford under a vast ‘umbrella’ on Tuesday

He also admitted it was a mistake to give Erik ten Hag a new contract and hire Dan Ashworth as sporting director, while outing several players that continue to cost the club huge sums of money.

However, Ratcliffe then unveiled plans to deliver what they call ‘the world’s greatest football stadium’ on Tuesday.

The ambitious plans have been called into question by many supporters, but Ratcliffe stated that the new ground will ‘preserve the essence of Old Trafford… while transforming the fan experience only footsteps from our existing home’.