Sir Jim Ratcliffe's face spoke volumes at Chelsea as Man Utd manager's fate was sealed

Sir Jim Ratcliffe remained patient with despite witnessing a devastating collapse of a 3-2 Manchester United lead over Chelsea last season. The boss, who acquired a stake in United in February 2024, experienced a rollercoaster of emotions at Stamford Bridge as the Red Devils faced off against the Blues in the two months later.

Under Ten Hag's shaky reign and following a season rife with mediocrity, the defeat to Chelsea threatened to shatter investor confidence. Despite netting twice and Bruno Fernandes adding another to outdo and Cole Palmer's efforts within the 90, heartache struck in injury time when Palmer slotted home a penalty, followed swiftly by a last-gasp winner, snatching victory from United's grasp. Whilst many supporters may have predicted Ten Hag's exit from Old Trafford after an all-time low eighth-place league finish, their triumph over rivals Manchester City in the bought him time - but the writing was on the wall after the Chelsea heartbreak.

Despite the reprieve, Ten Hag surely sensed the heat from Toto Wolff's comments upon Ratcliffe joining the fray. With INEOS co-owning the Mercedes team, Wolff said: "This is a no bull**** organisation.

"They are huge in terms of revenue and profit. Decisions are being made quickly - three bullet points on a page and 'here we go'. With Jim, all the bull**** is cut out."

Meanwhile, in an interview with Belgian newspaper last February, Ratcliffe outlined his ruthless vision for United, saying: "We have to look at the organisation of the club, because it is not good at the moment. Take the head coach, for example: he must report directly to the CEO.

"That is no longer possible in a modern football organisation. We have to ensure that the right people end up in the right positions. Every person in management must be world class. And then it is important to create a positive, supportive, friendly and high-quality environment.

"That culture was missing before. Only in such an environment can you get the best out of sportsmen. If successful, the results will follow automatically. That's the plan and I believe in it."

Despite a lacklustre season and speculation about potential replacements, including and Zinedine Zidane, Ratcliffe and the United board opted to back for 2024/25, extending his contract until June 2026 and providing him with a sizeable transfer budget to bolster his squad.

After splashing out a whopping £36.5million on Joshua Zirkzee, £42m on Manuel Ugarte, £52m on Leny Yoro, £49.2m on Matthijs de Ligt, and £17m on , Ten Hag's third season got off to a rocky start - managing just three victories in his first nine matches before being given the boot after a 2-1 defeat to in October.

He was succeeded by Ruben Amorim the following month. Fast forward to May 2025, and Ratcliffe will certainly be keeping a close eye on his team on Friday evening as they once again head to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

It's been a truly woeful season for the Red Devils that many supporters will be eager to put behind them, with the club currently languishing in 16th with a mere 10 victories under their belt. However, there is a glimmer of hope as they could still clinch the trophy, with an equally beleaguered awaiting in Wednesday's final.

While a victory would secure them a spot in the , a significant shake-up is required this summer if Amorim hopes to seriously compete in Europa while climbing back up the Premier League table - with his current squad inherited from Ten Hag struggling to adjust to his distinctive style of play.