Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be in attendance as Manchester United take on Chelsea this weekend, with the Red Devils' minority shareholder flying into the country to watch Michael Carrick's side at Stamford Bridge.
The Red Devils are without a win in eight games across all competitions, leading to heavy speculation that Manchester United were to sack Carrick. However, after Man United chiefs met on Monday, it was decided to give the former player more time in the Old Trafford hot seat. As such, Carrick will be in the dugout as Manchester United visit Stamford Bridge for Saturday's lunchtime kick-off, while Ratcliffe will be in the stands watching on.
Poor Stamford Bridge record
This may be a bad omen for Carrick, with Ratcliffe's last in-person visit coinciding with the Red Devils' controversial derby loss to Manchester City in September. Prior to that, Ratcliffe was in attendance at Old Trafford as Manchester United were shocked by another rival, Leeds United winning 2-1 at the Theatre of Dreams.
Ratcliffe watched on as Chelsea beat Man Utd 1-0 towards the end of the 2024/25 Premier League season, courtesy of a Marc Cucurella header. In fact, since buying shares at Manchester United, Ratcliffe has watched the Red Devils twice at Stamford Bridge, with his side losing on both occasions.
Fans question allegiance
Back during Erik ten Hag's tenure, Man Utd threw away a 3-2 lead in London, with Cole Palmer scoring deep into injury time to turn the game on its head. Beyond speculation surrounding Carrick's future, Ratcliffe's decision to watch the game in person has led many Manchester United fans on social media to label the businessman a Chelsea fan.
It will be the third time since 2024 that Ratcliffe has visited Stamford Bridge. Ratcliffe has admitted to a 'split allegiance' when it comes to Chelsea and Man United, revealing in 2018 that he was a season ticket holder at Stamford Bridge. At the time Ratcliffe told The Telegraph: "I am a season ticket holder at Chelsea. Have been for years, although I'm a Manchester United fan really."
The INEOS founder made a last-ditch bid to buy Chelsea for £4.25billion in 2022, losing out on the Blues to BlueCo, the consortium fronted by Todd Boehly.
