Sir Jim Ratcliffe has warned that Manchester United are unlikely to pursue superstar signings such as Jude Bellingham or Kylian Mbappe.
The billionaire Ineos chairman has taken control of footballing operations at United as part of his 25 per cent purchase.
Appearing as a guest on Geraint Thomas’ Cycling Club podcast, the 71-year-old was asked whether he would try and sign England star Bellingham.
Ratcliffe replied: “He is a great footballer. It’s not where our focus is, the solution isn’t spending a lot of money on a couple of great players.
“They have done that, if you look at the last 10 years, they have spent a lot of money on a couple of great players.
“The first thing we need to do is get the right people in the right boxes who are managing and organising the club. And make sure we get recruitment right. It is such a vital part of football today.”
Ratcliffe says he is more interested in recruiting future superstars rather than the current best players in the world like Bellingham and Mbappe, who are set to team up at Real Madrid next season.
Ratcliffe (left) and Brailsford (right) are taking charge of football matters at United but won’t pursue Bellingham or Mbappe
“I would rather sign the next Mbappe rather than spend a fortune buying success,” he added.
“It’s not that clever buying Mbappe. Anyone could figure that one out. More challenging is to find the next Mbappe or next Bellingham or next Roy Keane.”
United have not won a Premier League title since Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as manager in 2013 and are on track to miss out on Champions League qualification for next season.
Ratcliffe confirmed that he and his long-term right-hand man Dave Brailsford, formerly of Brish Cycling and Team Sky, would take the lead on football at United.
“The two people who are most focused on it would be Dave and myself, in terms of how we resolve it all,” he said.
“We’ve now got Omar Berrada of course, our new CEO from Manchester City, who is still on gardening leave at the moment, he’ll be a big part of it. But it’s Dave and myself really.
“You have to believe with Manchester United, if we get all the details right, all the right people in the right boxes, doing the right things in the right environment, that sporting elite environment that the results will drop out the bottom.
“Those things are not right at Manchester United today as we’ve said very clearly. It’s not a light switch, it’s a much longer road to travel because there’s so many aspects to it.”