Rio Ferdinand has said that it will take Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS a ‘minimum’ of two or three years to turn Manchester United back into a team that can challenge for the Premier League title.
The Red Devils currently sit in eighth place in the Premier League table, but changes are going on behind the scenes since the takeover earlier in the season. Omar Berrada will start his role as CEO in the summer, with United still targeting a move for Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth.
United’s last Premier League title came in the 2012/2013 season. Since then, rivals Man City have won the league six times, with five coming under the guidance of manager Pep Guardiola.
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Ferdinand has warned United that they must be ready to pounce to take advantage of a possible opening when the Spaniard leaves the Etihad Stadium, using Arsenal as an example. He has also outlined how long he feels it could take United to be back challenging their rivals.
“INEOS is huge now, they’ve cleared the decks behind the scenes which has been a good thing and they’ve brought in some people who are experienced and have the know-how which is good and putting those processing in place,” he told his FIVE podcast. “Obviously they’ve done a lot of watching, analysing and they’re now going to have to implement going into the new season so we’ll see how that plays out.
“The recruitment has to improve massively. I think you need a little bit of luck, one element of luck for United has happened already, Klopp’s gone, if Pep was to go too, then it would make it even easier. As long as Pep stays around it makes it difficult for everybody else to bypass them, the moment he leaves, big question marks then come into Man City and gives everyone else a chance.
“We need to be ready for when Pep says he’s going, whether that’s one, two or three years, whenever it is, to be in position to strike. The minimum is going to be two, three years before we can think about being in the position Arsenal are in now.”
