Sir Jim Ratcliffe determined for Manchester United to knock Manchester City and Liverpool 'off their perch'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe says his aim with Manchester United is to knock Manchester City and Liverpool “off their perch”.

The British billionaire is now part-owner at Old Trafford after his deal to buy a 27.7% stake in the club was finally confirmed.

The agreement sees control of football operations handed to his company, INEOS.

Legendary United manager Sir Alex Ferguson famously referred to their city rivals as “noisy neighbours” following the drama of Carlos Tevez signing across town in 2009.

Speaking for the first time since his acquisition, Ratcliffe channelled his inner Ferguson when describing the impact he wants to have at the club.

“We have a lot to learn from our noisy neighbour and the other neighbour,” he said.

“They are the enemy at the end of the day. There is nothing I would like better than to knock both of them off their perch.

“They have been in a good place for a while and there are things we can learn from both of them.

“They have sensible organisations, great people within the organisations, a good, driven and elite environment that they work in. I am very respectful of them but they are still the enemy.”

Many fans of Manchester United have been calling for change in the club’s hierarchy for a long time due to dissatisfaction at the way the Glazer family has been running the club.

Ratcliffe says expectations must be tempered following his arrival, as overnight success is not an option.

“The fans would run out of patience if it was a 10-year plan,” he said.

“But it’s certainly a three-year plan to get there.

“To think that we’re going to be playing football as good as Manchester City played against Real Madrid last year by next season is not sensible.

“And if we give people false expectations, then they will get disappointed. So I think the key thing is our trajectory, so that people can see that we’re making progress.

“Because it’s not easy to turn Manchester United into the world’s best football team.

“We have to be careful we don’t rush at it in a way. You don’t want to run to the wrong solution rather than walk to the correct solution.

Ratcliffe expects a change in fortunes to take “two to three years” and has asked for calmness from supporters - saying they do not need to look too far to see the benefits of a little patience.

“I know the world these days likes instant gratification but that’s not the case with football really. Look at Pep [Guardiola] at Man City – it didn’t happen overnight.”

United are next in action against Fulham in the Premier League on February 24.

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