Rio Ferdinand sets Sir Jim Ratcliffe his first Manchester United task

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has urged Sir Jim Ratcliffe to focus on communication between the boardroom and the fans as a key priority.

Earlier this month, Ratcliffe's main rival in the takeover race Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani announced he had withdrawn from the process. The Qatari banker cited the Glazers' valuation as the reason behind dropping out of the race.

This has left the door open for Ratcliffe to acquire a 25 per cent stake in United, a deal which is expected to be agreed in the coming weeks. Should the British billionaire reach an agreement with the Glazers, Ferdinand is adamant about his first priority.

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Speaking to the Daily Mirror as a TNT Sports pundit, Ferdinand said: "From the outside it looks quite complex because we’ve not had it explained to us what 25 per cent looks like from a business standpoint. Football is a business but you can’t treat football clubs like businesses and not in a holistic way.

"There’s too much emotional involvement, the history, the fans baying for news, information and guidance. [He needs] to appease the anxiety that has crept in.

"Most fans were sitting there thinking: ‘Right we’re going to get new owners.’ Everyone thought they would either go or they’ll still be here. Most fans wanted a new ownership.

"Communication is vital. If Mr Ratcliffe is coming in and wants to hit the ground running, show some signs of influence, one of the key areas he needs to zone into is communication with the fanbase. They are so important with the tone around the ground - that influences players. If you can control the tone around stories, the hype, the ups