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Former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham has spoken out in defence of new club owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Beckham himself played 394 times for the club, scoring 85 goals, and won numerous trophies before departing in 2003 to Real Madrid.
The 49-year-old also knows the trials and tribulations of owning a football team, as he is the president and owner of Major League Soccer team Inter Miami.
During his short time as part-owner of United, Ratcliffe has earned both praise and criticism for his role.
His company Ineos have been lauded for their summer investment, restructuring of the sporting department and their pressing ahead on plans for a new stadium.
Nonetheless, they have also faced criticism for their lack of clarity on the future of Erik ten Hag and an apparent lack of commitment to the Women’s team.
Whilst appearing on YouTube’s Rio Ferdinand Presents podcast, Beckham claimed the club certainly needed to head in a different direction from the Glazer ownership.
“I think that it definitely needed change. Speaking as a United fan, I think that, many people had said that, the club needed change.”
“It needed a fresh perspective in how this club needs to be run, and the decisions that are made.”
Beckham then stated that he personally knew Ratcliffe and believed that the billionaire genuinely did care a great deal for the club.
“I really like Jim, you know, I’ve met him a few times over the years with a few mutual friends and I think that he’s a fan, and obviously he’s a great businessman as well, one of the best and one of the biggest. But I think more importantly the fans see that he cares, and I think that that’s a big part of it.”
The former United number seven claimed that the fans had “lost faith” with the direction of the club under the Glazers and that Ratcliffe is desperate to rectify this situation.
Beckham was hopeful for the future and claimed, “hopefully, things will change, but these things take time.”
“I think we have been quite patient as United fans over the years, but we want those good old days back. We want those days back, and the sooner the better.”
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