Sir Jim Ratcliffe has pledged to acclimate to the Manchester rain after being welcomed by a downpour during his initial visit to Old Trafford since the revelation of his minority share takeover.

The billionaire businessman spent two hours at Old Trafford engaging with executives before departing.

When offered a welcome and asked about his thoughts on the torrential rain, he laughed and remarked, “I’ll have to get used to it!”

Ratcliffe initially entered the main entrance, smiling and protected from the Manchester rain by a security guard wielding an umbrella.

The Ineos boss, who finalized a deal on Christmas Eve to acquire a 25% share in the club and take control of football operations, met with key United staff, including interim CEO Patrick Stewart and Chief Operating Officer Collette Roche.

The group, excluding any members of the Glazer family, had a working lunch and discussed initial ideas to enhance United’s fortunes on the pitch.

Sir Jim and his Ineos team cannot actively participate in running United until the deal is ratified next month. He must first pass the Premier League’s fit and proper person test, and his acquisition of Class-A shares must be approved by the New York Stock Exchange.

However, Ratcliffe’s team will continue meetings at United’s Carrington training base on Wednesday, where he may meet under-fire manager Erik ten Hag.

Ratcliffe’s right-hand man, Sir Dave Brailsford, who also serves as the sporting director at chemical company Ineos, met Ten Hag at Carrington on Sunday. Brailsford has attended United’s last two games from the stands and was guided around Carrington by United’s interim chief executive Patrick Stewart and football director John Murtough.

Ineos Chief Executive Jean-Claude Blanc is expected to take over as United CEO, and Brailsford could appoint a new football director. However, Stewart and Murtough are still anticipated to have roles in the new setup.

Ten Hag’s future remɑins uncertain, with SunSport revealing that Ratcliffe has lined up ex-Chelsea boss Graham Potter as a replacement. United currently sits seventh in the league, with only one win in their last five matches.

At the end of December, Ten Hag spoke out to insist that he would be given a chance under United’s new ownership, stating, “They want to work with me, I want to work with them, we will have the conversations, the meetings, we will see.”

The Dutchman was recently pictured spending New Year in Barcelona with his family, but he looks to return in time for crucial talks with his new boss.