Man Utd takeover: Keane gives scathing Ratcliffe assessment with blunt response to arrival

Roy Keane has claimed things can’t get “any worse” at Manchester United following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s partial takeover of the club.

Ratcliffe’s £1.3billion investment in a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United was announced last month, bringing an end to months of negotiations.

As part of the deal, Ratcliffe will assume control of the club’s football operations in the hope of transforming Man Utd’s fortunes on the pitch.

Last year marked a full decade since Man Utd tasted Premier League title success, with the club appointing five different permanent managers – David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and current incumbent Erik ten Hag – since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.

Keane, who won seven Premier League titles with Manchester United, has been a vocal critic of the club’s decline over recent years.

And appearing on ITV’s coverage of Man Utd’s FA Cup third-round match against Wigan Athletic on Monday, Keane backed Ratcliffe to ring the changes in a characteristically blunt reaction to his arrival.

READ MORE: ‘I’d be fuming’ – Keane slams Man Utd star ‘messing about’ in Wigan win

He said: “It can’t be any worse than it has been over the last few years in terms of decision making, people making decisions upstairs in regard of recruitment, the fees they’ve been paying out, the wages they’ve been handing out.

“You hope there’s a change of dynamics at the club, new opinions. But only time will tell.

“Focus on the football. Hopefully decisions from upstairs will improve over the next few years.”

Keane went on to stress the importance of United – who currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, nine points off a top-four spot – “getting some results” on the pitch, describing the FA Cup as “the only trophy they can win this season.”

Ten Hag’s side tumbled out of Europe last month after finishing bottom of their Champions League group with just four points from six games.

Keane’s comments on Ratcliffe come after he vented his frustration with Marcus Rashford during United’s victory over Wigan, claiming the England international has developed some bad habits.

He said: “I think he’s got one or two bad habits, where he’s stopping the ball and trying the flicks at the wrong time. I don’t think he runs in behind enough.

“I think we were getting frustrated watching him, I think United fans were frustrated watching him. United were playing against a League One side here, and I think Marcus must have walked off the pitch thinking: ‘For all these opportunities, I should be scoring, or certainly providing more assists’.

“That might sound a bit harsh, but that’s because we expect a lot from him. It’s just these little details. He’s gone into the habit as well of stopping the ball dead, which makes it easier to defend.

“We’re quick to criticise body language, but there were parts of his game tonight that just frustrated me.

“And I hope they frustrated his team-mates as well. They should be saying: ‘Listen, we expect more from you.'”