Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been spotted repairing leaks on the roof of Old Trafford as reports intensify that he’s closing in on a deal to buy Manchester United.
Paddy Power News received a call this morning from a source in the North West claiming that Ratcliffe, the billionaire CEO of Ineos, was hard at work from around 8am fixing problems left by the outgoing Glazer family.
A rainbow is pictures above Manchester United’s Old Trafford football stadium in Manchester, north-west England on October 19, 2010. Manchester United superstar Wayne Rooney sent shockwaves rippling across English football on Tuesday after manager Sir Alex Ferguson confirmed the striker wanted to leave the club. After days of raging speculation about the 24-year-old’s future, a clearly stunned Ferguson broke his silence on the saga by announcing that the club’s most important player wanted out of Old Trafford. AFP PHOTO/PAUL ELLIS (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)
A company spokesperson told us “Sir Jim is a builder by trade so when he had the survey done and discovered that the famous old ground was going to rack and ruin, he decided to act quickly.
“If you’re going to spend five billion quid on a new place you need to know that the roof is secure at least.”
They went on to explain: “He likes his bosses to get their hands dirty. When he bought the cycling team he sent Dave Brailsford on a carpentry course.
“Erik ten Haag doing a mechanic apprenticeship so he’ll be able to fix the team bus when it breaks down.”
Back at Old Trafford, a Manchester United insider explained: “Cherry pickers started arriving on the forecourt before dawn then Ratcliffe appeared with a gang of blokes and promptly started mixing bitumen. To be honest, it bloody stinks round here at the moment.”
More eyewitnesses on the ground have been giving their accounts of what has been a truly extraordinary day at the Theatre of Dreams
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“Ratcliffe’s favourite butty is egg mayo” one explained, “He apparently popped into Subway first thing to pick one up. I understand he’s also got a pork pie in his lunch box.”
“I think he’s the right man to take Manchester United forward” another stated. “I remember when he was a lad he fixed our leaking garage roof with his dad. They didn’t charge the earth either. The firm are still on Trust a Trader.
“I can’t imagine Mark Zuckerberg or an Emirati prince being this hands-on, can you?”
It looks as though fixing the roof is only the start Ratcliffe’s revamp.
“Once he’s done up there he’s off to the concourse under the Stretford End to fix a leaking toilet and top up the paper towel holders” another club source told us.
“Then tomorrow he’s heading to Carrington because someone has scrawled “Ronaldo is a p***k on the front gates and he wants it cleaned off before the players arrive back from the World Cup.”
*Paddy Power’s breaking news coverage is 110% nonsense
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