11 December 2023 , 08:54
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Bruno Fernandes is set for an awkward first meeting with Sir Jim Ratcliffe when the INEOS owner completes his deal to take over control of Manchester United.
Ratcliffe is close to completing his £1.3billion deal to buy 25 per cent of the club, which will also see him take over sporting control of United from the Glazer family. He is expected to take a ruthless approach once he is through the door, with Sir Dave Brailsford’s audit leading to many changes.
The 71-year-old is a fan of United, having grown up in Failsworth, Greater Manchester, but his loyalties to the club are overridden by his business sense. He has previously been outspoken about United, with their propensity to be the “dumb money” in town a particular grievance.
He also does not appreciate play acting and has taken a swipe at Fernandes in his new book. The United captain is criticised for ‘clutching his untouched face in the Liverpool debacle’, presumably referring to his actions in the 7-0 thrashing back in March.
Fernandes is now in the spotlight for his behaviour during United’s shocking 3-0 home loss against Bournemouth on Saturday. The Portuguese midfielder will be suspended for the game against Liverpool next weekend after picking up a fifth booking of the season for arguing with the referee in the closing stages.
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He has been accused of getting a yellow card deliberately through his petulant behaviour and, whether that is true or not, an incident like that won’t have impressed Ratcliffe. The billionaire will meet with key figures once his takeover has been ratified and, while club executives and manager Erik ten Hag will be first on the list, as club captain, Fernandes will also be spoken to.
Bruno Fernandes has been criticised by Sir Jim Ratcliffe for play acting (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Is Bruno Fernandes the right man to captain Manchester United? Comment below.
Ratcliffe already owns two football clubs – Lausanne and Nice – and also has investments in Mercedes’ F1 team and INEOS sailing team. He is putting his money into United because he believes they are an underperforming business which can be turned around. To do so they will need strong leadership on and off the pitch.
Fernandes was given the captaincy by Ten Hag, who stripped the armband off Harry Maguire, and the midfielder needs to step up, starting against Bayern Munich in their must-win Champions League game on Tuesday.
Fernandes apologised to the club’s fans on Saturday. “(I want) to apologise for the performance,” he said. “It was not acceptable, starting on me. I’m not talking about anyone else.
“But I think everyone agrees in the dressing room that the performance was (not) at our level and we have to perform much better. It was underperforming on quality-wise, on effort-wise and not aggressive as we did in the last game against Chelsea. If you don’t do your job, you’re not going to win the game.”