Ratcliffe's investment signals fresh start in Man Utd's recovery plan

MANCHESTER, England : Jim Ratcliffe becoming a minority shareholder in Manchester United finally ended the drawn-out ownership saga and while the deal will not give supporters their desired clean break from the unpopular Glazer family, it signals a fresh start for the club.

The deal is far from the multi-billion dollar takeover initially expected but supporters will welcome his input as they look forward to their club regaining their position at the peak of English and European football.

The British billionaire and owner of petrochemicals giant INEOS bought a 25 per cent stake for $33 per share, United said on Sunday, following a bidding process that lasted more than 12 months.

    The 71-year-old is also investing $300 million intended to upgrade the club's ageing infrastructure that invariably has visiting fans, often soaked by water pouring through the holes in the roof, chanting "Old Trafford is falling down".

Ratcliffe's investment means he has been given the responsibility of running the sporting side of the business, which is welcome news for a club that stumbled to their worst start to a season since 1962 and have not won a league title since Alex Ferguson retired as manager in 2013.

The Glazers will remain in control, but how the dynamic between them and Ratcliffe will unfold is one of the great unanswered questions of the new arrangement.

    Ratcliffe grew up in a council house in the Manchester area, where his fascination with industry reportedly grew from the factory smoke stacks he could see from his bedroom window.

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    After studying chemical engineering at Birmingham University he did an MBA at London Business School and went on to become one of Britain's richest businessmen, founding INEOS