He hammered home that ambition in one of his first addresses after acquiring a 27.7 per cent stake in his lifelong club last month.
“They are the enemy at the end of the day. There is nothing I would like better than to knock both [City and Liverpool] off their perch,” Ratcliffe proclaimed.
It echoed Erik ten Hag’s sentiments in his media unveiling in the summer of 2022 when he insisted that “eras come to an end” in reference to Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola’s recent reigns.
News of Klopp’s planned Anfield exit at the end of the season will have been music to the ears of Liverpool’s rivals.
But City proved in their 3-1 derby win against United yesterday that as long as Pep Guardiola is at the wheel, there is likely little Ratcliffe and INEOS could do to derail them.
Phil Foden’s brace and Erling Haaland’s finish cancelled out Marcus Rashford’s stunning opener to keep the Cityzens on course for a fourth successive Premier League title and back-to-back trebles.
United displayed they were nowhere near the level of their rivals again, and it proved just how big a job Ratcliffe has on his hands at Old Trafford.
Earlier in the week, Jamie Carragher claimed that United wouldn’t return to the summit of world football while Guardiola was at the helm at City.
And the Red Devils’ defensive-minded, inferior performance gave the Liverpool’s icons claims plenty of substance.
“Manchester United can forget about knocking Manchester City off their perch while Pep Guardiola remains in English football,” Carragher wrote for the Telegraph.
“United can change owners, headhunt the best chief executive and sporting director in the world, revamp their recruitment department, rebuild Old Trafford and appoint their best manager since Sir Alex Ferguson.
“It doesn’t matter. So long as Guardiola is around, City will lose no sleep. United will never be the most dominant club in their city, let alone the rest of the country until City are in the process of hiring a new coach.
“This is how great football eras work. Legendary, world-class managers never get surpassed by their contemporaries while at their peak, and we are still in the midst of City’s dominance.”