Neville says Man Utd fans will not be impressed by Ratcliffe's £245m investment
Gary Neville believes £245million is NOT enough cash for Sir Jim Ratcliffe to transform Manchester United into a modern club.
British billionaire Ratcliffe is on the verge of buying a 25 per cent stake in United for £1.25billion. He is set to take charge of football operations after a decade without a Premier League title, with the Glazers leading the commercial side of the business.
It's believed Ratcliffe will invest £245m of his personal wealth into United on top of his £1.25bn purchase. This nine-figure add-on will be used to improve United's ageing infrastructure, with Old Trafford in dire need of renovating or rebuilding altogether.
Yet as Neville points out, it will cost a lot more than £245m to transform Old Trafford into one of Europe's best stadiums. Such a project is expected to cost more than £1bn, as the likes of Tottenham, Real Madrid and Barcelona have found out in recent years.
Neville was asked about the £245m investment on The Gary Neville Podcast. He's urged Ratcliffe and the Glazers to set out the "full proposal" so fans know "how it is going to work" and suspects Old Trafford's refurbishment will be done in phases.
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Neville explained: "You don't sit here as a Manchester United fan, wholly impressed by the idea of £245m going in to improve the stadium because we know that Real Madrid and Barcelona are spending a billion to get their stadiums right with a full refit.
"We know that other clubs have spent significantly more. So, we know that is not actually going to touch the sides properly of a full refurb of Old Trafford but what it is, is a significant amount of money - and Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a smart and successful businessman.
Ratcliffe is hoping to complete his takeover of United shortly (PA)What's your thoughts about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Manchester United takeover? Let us know in the comments below!
"He's not going to put £245m into something and let it go down the drain, so I suspect it is probably the first instalment of some sort of plan that means that they will phase the refurbishment of the stadium over two or three different seasons."
The Glazers took control of United in 2005, with the team remaining successful until Sir Alex Ferguson's departure in 2013. United have struggled to compete with the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool during the last decade, winning just four major trophies.
The Glazers have spent big since Ferguson's departure, investing more than £180m on new players during the summer transfer window. The likes of Paul Pogba, Harry Maguire, Antony and Cristiano Ronaldo have all been costly signings in recent years.
But the Glazers haven't done much work to Old Trafford, which has a leaking roof. Neville believes this is a sign of "a business that's failing". He added: "One of the biggest football clubs in the world has a leaking roof, and it becomes funny, it becomes a joke."
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