Sir Jim Ratcliffe

After his 11th hour bid for a potential takeover of Chelsea FC under their watch, Sir Jim Ratcliffe may not have been the most pleased to hear that Manchester United have appointed the Raine Group as the club's exclusive financial advisor. This is because he failed with his bid for a potential takeover of Chelsea FC.

The news that United supporters have been anticipating for the past 17 years was finally communicated to them on Tuesday night in a statement released by the club. The club was available for purchase.

United games prior to the break for the World Cup were filled with constant chants of "Glazers Out," and there is no sign that the fan unrest over the American owners will disappear any time soon. The members of the fan club had a vested interest in ensuring that the club's acquisition of Antony from Ajax this summer would not divert attention away from the more systemic issues that they have been experiencing.

It would appear at this point that their demonstrations and defiance have paid off. There is, of course, a long process that lies between now and any potential sale, and nobody other than Sir Jim will be more aware of how challenging it can be to get a deal to the point where it can be finalized.

The Raine Group, who were also hired by Roman Abramovich to manage the sale of Chelsea FC this summer, has been named by United as their financial advisors for the process. United made the announcement on their website. The purchase that was led by Todd Boehly was successful in the end, but Ratcliffe's unsuccessful attempt to make a bid at the eleventh hour gave the impression that he had upset the apple cart.

Before the Raine Group appeared to be on the verge of announcing Boehly as their preferred buyer, the British billionaire expressed a spur-of-the-moment interest in the company.

Back in May, Ratcliffe gave an interview to the BBC in which he said that his message to Raine was to "not discount our offer."

"We are British and have big plans for Chelsea," they said. If I were Raine, I wouldn't shut any doors if I could help it.

The Raine Group was able to successfully complete the sale of the London club to Boehly, which resulted in the door being tragically shut on Sir Jim.

The fact that the Raine Group was able to successfully complete the sale of Chelsea should, of course, inspire fans of Manchester United. This demonstrates the investment bank's capacity and desire to be able to successfully complete large and complex negotiations.

The fact that Ratcliffe has been a lifelong supporter of Manchester United gives many fans reason to have faith that he will be able to take the club to even greater heights than he was able to achieve with his previous bid for Chelsea.

In October, the British billionaire said the following to the Financial Times: "I've been a Manchester United fan my entire life. I was present in Barcelona in 1999 for the most remarkable match, which took place there and was the Champions League final against Bayern Munich. That is ingrained very strongly in my memory.

The Glazer family is the current owner of Manchester United. " I have met Joel and Avram. I have to say that they are some of the nicest people I have ever met, and they are true gentlemen. They have no intention of selling the club at this time. The father's six offspring are the legal owners of the business. Following on from what happened with Chelsea, it is true that we would have considered making an offer on it if it had been up for sale during the summer. However, we can't just wait around and keep our fingers crossed that Manchester United will become available someday.

The Glazers now appear to have transitioned from privately keeping Ratcliffe at arm's length to now encouraging and hoping that the Briton can find the funds to close a deal. This is a change from their previous stance, in which they kept Ratcliffe at arm's length. It's possible that the appointment of the Raine Group knocked some wind out of Sir Jim's sails, but that in no way indicates that he won't be successful this time around.

He, along with millions of other United supporters, will undoubtedly be hoping that this is the case; however, in order for him to be successful this time around, he may need to move a little bit more quickly than he did when he attempted to buy Chelsea.