MANCHESTER UNITED fans will be pleased to know their new owner has good taste in footballers.
Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has revealed who he thinks is the best player to ever don a Man Utd shirt.
The British billionaire finally had his 25 per cent takeover of the Manchester club ratified by the Premier League last month, marking a new era for the footballing giant.
And alongside his deep pockets Ratcliffe also brings a wealth of experience with top level sporting success and perhaps most importantly a love for the club he now co-owns.
The Ineos CEO is a lifelong Manchester United fan and revealed on the Geraint Thomas Cycling Club podcast who his favourite Red Devil of all-time is.
He said: “The greatest to have ever played for United? Probably Ronaldo I guess. I would think Cristiano Ronaldo.”
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Before adding that another player had his heart, he said: “George Best was, I suppose, probably the most naturally gifted player I have ever seen play football.”
Ronaldo and Best won a combined 15 trophies across both their eras as players at the Theatre of Dreams – a feat that seems some way off for the current United team.
But if there was one player that Ratcliffe wished he could drop into Erik ten Hag’s current Old Trafford outfit to reignite their form and refill their trophy cabinet it wouldn’t be Ronaldo or Best.
In fact the 71-year-old pointed towards a star who won an astonishing 11 Premier League titles, two Champions League trophies, four FA Cups and two League Cups instead.
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When asked who he would like to add to the current Man Utd team if he could, he said: “Paul Scholes is the one I’d bring in.
“I think that’s the player that they’re most missing. They have a couple of players who, they’re not Roy Keane, but can play defensive midfield like Casemiro and [Kobbie] Mainoo.
“But they don’t have a Paul Scholes or an Iniesta-type player.”
Ten Hag would almost certainly kill for a player of Scholes’ quality to help dig his team out of what has been a turbulent campaign.
But the Red Devils boss will be buoyed by the spectacular late 4-3 victory over Liverpool that his side pulled off to book a place in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Inside Ratcliffe’s Man Utd plans
Everything you need to know as Sir Jim Ratcliffe takes charge at Manchester United…
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk