Inside Ratcliffe's United revolution: what it means for ETH's transfer war chest

Sir Jim Ratcliffe turned to his friend at Nice's Allianz Riviera Stadium with a pained expression on his face. 'He's going to pass it backwards, isn't he?' he said.

Below, on the field, the wide player with the ball at his feet in the team he acquired in 2019, did just that. 'For f***'s sake,' Ratcliffe exclaimed.

While the new, 25 per cent stakeholder in Manchester United is unlikely to demand Erik ten Hag bans Alejandro Garnacho from doing anything other than going forwards, those who know the petrochemicals billionaire believe the short exchange speaks volumes of his personality – and of what his fellow, long-suffering United fans can expect over the coming days, weeks, months and years.

Ratcliffe is a man in a hurry. Not just because he is 71, although father time is a consideration, but because he wants to get things done quickly.

Already, the view within Old Trafford is of an impatience, but of the right kind. A man and a group on the front foot who want to transform quickly.

Outside the club, some have raised eyebrows at the perceived value of the deal.

Why would one of the country's most successful businessmen, who has made a career from making sound decisions, spend more than £1bn to take only a quarter stake in a club that has underperformed for a decade?

According to those who know Ratcliffe well, there are two reasons.

The first is that he is a 'proper' United fan. As a child, his father recounted tales of the Munich Air Disaster. From Failsworth, where Manchester meets Oldham in the east, he regularly travelled across the city to matches.

In 1968, he was left devastated when his father watched the Busby Babes' healing European Cup win at Wembley – and could only get one ticket.

After moving to Hull father and two