Sir Jim Ratcliffe SLAMS key elements of Old Trafford as ‘c**p’ and ‘too small’, as Red Devils co-owner offers another brutal verdict on their current facilities

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ripped into the state of Manchester United’s museum and club shop as he offered a brutal verdict on their current facilities.

Ratcliffe officially became a co-owner on Tuesday after INEOS’ 27.7 per cent investment in Manchester United was confirmed by the club, with the British billionaire taking over football operations as part of the deal. 

Earlier this month, Mail Sport revealed Ratcliffe’s £2billion plan to turn Old Trafford into a ‘Wembley of the North’, with the aim of producing an iconic venue to rival England’s national stadium in London and its 90,000-capacity.

The 71-year-old has outlined his vision to transform the club from top to bottom and that extends beyond the pitch as he commented on the club’s other facilities.

In an interview this week, Ratcliffe labelled United’s museum as ‘c**p’ before claiming that the club shop was ‘too small’ for their stature. 

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ripped into the current state of Man United’s museum and club shop

The United megastore was officially opened, by Sir Alex Ferguson, back in December 1994

The United megastore was officially opened, by former manager Sir Alex Ferguson, back in December 1994 and has seldom been updated. 

In the same interview, Ratcliffe admitted that he’s made mistakes at his previous clubs but remains determined to not repeat them. He said: ‘We’ve made some really stupid decisions in both those clubs.

‘We have made mistakes in football so I’m really pleased that we made those mistakes before we arrived here. If we hadn’t, this would be a much tougher job for us. Because it is huge and it’s very exposed.’

On Wednesday, Ratcliffe admitted that Old Trafford has become ‘tired and in need of refurbishment’ on Wednesday as he outlined his wish to create a national stadium in the north of England.

Refurbishing the existing 74,000-seater stadium, which opened in 1910, would likely prove to be a short-term measure and would cost in the region of £800million. Meanwhile, a new-build may be anywhere between £1bn and £2bn. 

Confirming his plan on Wednesday during his first broadcast interview since becoming a co-owner, Ratcliffe told the BBC: ‘It’s about time someone built a national stadium in the north of England.’

The billionaire added that his ‘preference’ is to use taxpayers money to fund the project, describing the new stadium as a catalyst for regeneration in south Manchester. 

‘If it can be achieved (with taxpayers’ money), it would clearly be my preference,’ he said. ‘I would be very excited for the north of England. Trafford Park is where the industrial revolution began. If you look at that region of Manchester today – only a mile from the centre – it is tired and neglected and parts are quite run down’.

Ratcliffe insisted that the club shop – which United call the ‘megastore’ – was ‘too small’

Ratcliffe has also previously criticised the ‘outdated’ structure of United and claimed a culture was ‘missing’

Ratcliffe has also criticised the ‘outdated’ structure of Manchester United and claimed a culture was ‘missing’ as he revealed his plans to revolutionise the former juggernaut of world football. 

He and INEOS have already made clear that big structural changes will be made behind the scenes.

Omar Berrada will join as chief executive, having been poached from rivals Manchester City, while talks are ongoing to bring in Dan Ashworth from Newcastle United as sporting director.

Newcastle confirmed this week that Ashworth has been placed on gardening leave as the two clubs haggle over a compensation fee – a decision Ratcliffe slammed as ‘absurd’.