Man Utd fan group hope Ratcliffe's partial takeover 'is the start of a new dawn'

A Manchester United supporter group has insisted they hope that Sir Jim Ratcliffe's arrival can bring a 'new dawn' to the club and have called for the 'full sale of Glazer shares'.

Fan group The 1958 took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make the statement after Ratcliffe wrote to Manchester United fans promising to do everything he can to take the club back to the pinnacle of world football.

The INEOS owner addressed the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust and members of the Fans’ Forum and Fans’ Advisory Board in the letter which was sent following conformation on Christmas Eve that he is buying a quarter of the club for £1.3billion.

In response to Ratcliffe's arrival and his letter to supporters, the fan group took to social media to reveal their thoughts on the impending changes at the club.

They wrote: 'It is no secret that we have met and spoken to Sir Jim. We did make a noise at our Liverpool protest and a banner about the first public intention to ever buy our club.

'We are about disruption, keeping the protest and distain for Glazer in the public eye. Every action triggers a reaction. Good or bad, we don’t give a f***! People are still talking about this now. So from our perspective. Job done!

'This was 3 months before the club statement and 6 months before any divisive ownership b******* with other bidders. The message then was the same as the message now, despite what some d*** heads on here keep twisting. No minority investment and full sale of Glazer shares.

'So, this still means we should scrutinise any investment into the club. This means we should know what the pathway to full control is if there is one. Whilst it is understandable to be optimistic about this.

'That family have had a death grip on our club for close to 20 years. It is also important to remember that they have inflicted untold generational damage on the club and the fanbase.

'This is about the sacrifice United fans have made for close to 20 years. It is about the promises to and memories of lost family and friends. It is about restoring a dignity and honesty to the fanbase and our club.

'Its more than performances and results on the pitch. We made a promise amongst ourselves. We made a promise with family. We made a promise with every united fan who has sacrificed their time, money, effort and energy to fight the fight.

'We wont be cracking open the champagne just yet until we have some clarity about their exit strategy. We have never wavered from this stance. Let us hope this is the start of a new dawn for our club. We deserve it. We need it. The 1958'.

Mail Sport understands that Ratcliffe will be given the option to buy up the Glazers shares first should the eventuality arise where the American majorty owners whish to sell their shares in the club.

In Ratcliffe's own message to supporters, he acknowledged INEOS’s role as ‘custodians of the club on your behalf’ and admitted it could take time to revive United’s fortunes after a decade of under-achievement.

But the 71-year-old promised that INEOS are ‘in it for the long-term’ and spelt out his ambition to bring success back to Old Trafford.

He said: ‘I wanted to write to you at this time given the critical role of the fans to the future of Manchester United as we recognise our responsibility as custodians of the club on your behalf.

‘I believe we can bring sporting success on the pitch to complement the undoubted commercial success that the club has enjoyed. It will require time and patience alongside rigour and the highest level of professional management.

‘You are ambitious for Manchester United and so are we. There are no guarantees in sport and change can inevitably take time, but we are in it for the long-term and together we want to help take Manchester United back to where the club belongs, at the very top of English, European and world football. I take that responsibility very seriously.

‘Please note that, as with any deal, it is subject to the usual regulatory sign-off process and therefore we do not expect to speak publicly about club matters until after the deal has been completed.’

Ratcliffe is expected to attend a United game in the near future, and his sporting director Sir Dave Brailsford will be at Old Trafford on Tuesday night to watch Erik ten Hag’s side take on Aston Villa.