Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Chelsea message sets off Man Utd alarm bells after Erik ten Hag crisis meeting

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is under pressure to make a decision on Erik ten Hag's future and he could have been having the same propblems at Chelsea

Sir Jim Ratcliffe could have been the Chelsea owner before he bought a stake in Manchester United. The British billionaire made a late move to buy the Blues in 2022 after Roman Abramovich was forced to sell.

There were a number of bids for the Blues, with Ratcliffe's attempt coming late in the process. But it was Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital who eventually won the day.

Ratcliffe would go on to buy a 27.7% stake in United in 2024 for £1.25billion and he is coming under increasing pressure because of what's going on on the pitch.

Ratcliffe's buyout saw him take control of football operations at Old Trafford and the big one at the moment revloves around manager Erik ten Hag's future. The billionaire said last week that it was "not my call", which will have raised eyebrows.

In explaining his quotes, he said: "It's the management team that's running Manchester United that have to decide how we best run the team in many different respects. But that team that's running Manchester United has only been together since June or July."

Those three people are sporting director Dan Ashworth, technical director Jason Wilcox and director Sir Dave Brailsford. They, along with Ratcliffe, co-owner Joel Glazer, CEO Omar Berrada, chief operating officer Collette Roche and chief financial officer Roger Bell held a seven-hour crisis meeting on Tuesday to discuss the club's plight.

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United are 14th in the Premier League after seven games, winning just two. They have also drawn both of their Europa League matches so far.

Ten Hag is under huge pressure, particularly after hanging on to his job by winning the FA Cup at the end of last season. It is widely known that United did look for a replacement but deemed no one good enough to take over from the Dutchman.

Now he is facing even more pressure and what Ratcliffe said when asked about his bid to buy Chelsea should set alarm bells ringing in the United fanbase.

Ratcliffe was asked if Chelsea have shown how to not do things in regards to spending. While not directly criticising Chelsea, the new United owner talked about mistakes being repeated. And his answer can be used in a different light with regard to what's going on with ten Hag's future right now too.

He said: "There are a lot of organisations in the world where, if you make a mistake, you get shot, so nobody ever puts their head above the parapet. But at INEOS, we don’t mind people making mistakes - but please don’t make it a second time."

Words Ratcliffe and INEOS need to live by themselves. It looks, on the face of it, like keeping ten Hag at the end of last season was a mistake. By holding on to him as head coach now, they are making the same mistake again.

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