Man United protest group hail the arrival of Ratcliffe for giving the club hope

Manchester United protest group The 1958 have expressed hope that Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be ‘an ally and vehicle’ in driving the Glazer family out of Old Trafford.

The anti-Glazer campaigners welcomed Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion purchase of 25 per cent of United, but say they will not rest until the unpopular American owners have given up control of the club.

The Ineos owner’s plans to work with the Glazers have been laid out in the terms of his investment and filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. The two parties worked together to oversee the recruitment of new United chief executive Omar Berrada from Manchester City.

Ultimately, though, The 1958 want Ratcliffe to be a force of change at the club. A spokesman for the group said: ‘We believe the Ratcliffe investment and the Securities and Exchange Commission filing gives us more hope for a brighter future and a potential clearer pathway towards majority ownership further down the line.

‘This doesn’t mean we rest on our laurels. The aftermath of the European Super League is proof sitting back and doing nothing is not an option. We are working towards a next phase, strategy and plan.

‘We have more than 52,000 supporters signed up to our Claim Back United website. Over 29,000 being season ticket holders or members. Now is the time to develop that intent and move forward with our plans.

‘A generation of supporters have fought and battled to rid our club of these owners. We never wanted them at the start and we don’t want them now. We owe it to ourselves and the legacy of these efforts to ensure they are removed.

‘We hope Sir Jim is an ally and vehicle in making this happen. Do not forgive and do not forget the damage the Glazers have done to our club and fan base.

‘We