COLD WAR AT OLD TRAFFORD: Sir Jim Ratcliffe slams Bruno Fernandes ahead of £1.3 billion deal

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has taken a swipe at Bruno Fernandes’ theatrics ahead of acquiring a £1.3 billion ($1.6bn) stake in Manchester United.

Britain’s richest man, who was a boyhood Red Devils supporter, is set to wrestle 25 per cent of power away from the unpopular Glazer family at Old Trafford. Sweeping changes are being mooted ahead of that investment being confirmed, with Ratcliffe expected to improve ageing infrastructure and questionable recruitment policy in Manchester.

Many are ready to throw open their doors to the CEO of the INEOS chemicals group, but United captain Fernandes may have an early bone to pick with him. That is because the Portuguese playmaker has seen a jibe aimed in his direction on the opening page of Ratcliffe’s new book.

In the publication ‘Introducing Grit, Rigour & Humour: the Ineos Story’, Ratcliffe details how, during a trip around the Pacific, he “felt the ground tremble every time a Cook Islander smashed into another in a local rugby match”. He saw one player “carted off in the back of a pick-up with a broken leg”, with Ratcliffe describing said incident as a “far cry from Bruno Fernandes clutching his untouched face in the Liverpool debacle recently” – after seeing United suffer a humbling 7-0 defeat against their arch-rivals in the 2022-23 campaign.

Fernandes’ antics on that day also attracted criticism from Gary Neville, with the ex-United defender saying while on commentary duty for Sky Sports: “There was a VAR check for an elbow – it was on his chest. Oh, he holds his face. That’s embarrassing from Bruno Fernandes. It’s on his chest and he goes down. He’s so frustrating at times.”

Fernandes remains a divisive character in 2023-24, with questions being asked of his claims to the armband at Old Trafford. He has often delivered for United on the field, but is about to serve a ban – forcing him to sit out another meeting with Liverpool – after collecting a number of needless yellow cards in the current campaign.