Sir Jim Ratcliffe embarrasses Man Utd as latest comments speak volumes

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's latest comments serve as a grim reminder of just how far Manchester United have fallen over the last decade or so. The struggling Red Devils have endured yet another poor start to the season, having won just three of their opening seven games. They also suffered a humiliating Carabao Cup defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town to make matters even worse.

United's poor results have led to speculation that Ruben Amorim could soon be relieved of his duties. He is approaching his first anniversary as manager but has failed to make any sort of tangible progress over the last 12 months. However, those in power at Old Trafford have made it clear that he will be given more time to try and sort things out.

Ratcliffe went a step further this week by saying that he wants to give Amorim three more years to prove himself. He explained that United are looking to learn lessons from Arsenal, who have stuck with Mikel Arteta since he was appointed in 2019.

"Football is not overnight," said the United chief in an interview with The Times. "It's three years. You also look at [Mikel] Arteta at Arsenal. He had a miserable time over the first couple of years.

"We have to be patient. We have a long-term plan. It isn't a light switch. You can't run a club like Manchester United on knee-jerk reactions to some journalist who goes off on one every week."

While the INEOS supremo might have a point about giving managers time, using Arteta as an example proves beyond any doubt that United are simply a shadow of their former selves.

Arsenal have not won a major trophy in the last five years, with their last success coming in the FA Cup at the end of Arteta's first season in charge.

Since then, the Gunners have failed to do anything of note apart from consistently finish second in the Premier League. The notion that Ratcliffe sees this as something for United to aim for is a damning indictment of their current situation.

They simply would not have stood for such mediocrity during the days of Sir Alex Ferguson. Throughout his tenure, anything other than multiple trophies every season was deemed a failure and rightly so for a club of United's stature.

The Red Devils have been among the Premier League's biggest spenders in recent years but have very little to show for it. They should be competing with the very best given the money they have splashed, but have instead regressed to a mid-table side.

It has been plainly obvious for some time that United are nowhere near the beasts they once were, and Ratcliffe's latest comments suggest that is not going to change for the foreseeable future. It is a sorry state of affairs for the biggest club in English football.