Sir Jim Ratcliffe says Manchester United have become a “mediocre” club that are no longer “elite” and that he faces one of the biggest challenges in sport to get them back on top.

United’s co-owner insisted he was having to make some “difficult and unpopular decisions” and that without them “nothing much is going to change” given the scale of the “complicated problem” he has inherited at Old Trafford.

In a candid, wide-ranging interview with the United We Stand fanzine, Ratcliffe said:

• United have “drifted” for a decade during which time “a lot of inertia” has built up and there are no “easy” or “quick” fixes

• Ruben Amorim will not win the Premier League and Champions League unless the squad improves

• Data analysis “doesn’t really exist” at Old Trafford and needs dragging into the 21st century and recruitment must be transformed

• The perception he is not interested in the women’s team is “slightly misguided” but that the men have been the focus

• Job cuts were necessary and the club’s losses were “unsustainable”

• Ticket prices have to rise but he does not want to price out local fans

United have been in steady decline since last winning the Premier League title in 2012/13, Sir Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge, owing to years of mismanagement and poor decision-making on and off the pitch.

Ratcliffe acquired a 27.7 per cent stake in United in February when he took over control of football operations and the day-to-day running of the club from the Glazers, since when he has appointed a new management team and replaced Erik ten Hag with Amorim as head coach.

“The club has drifted for a long period of time, a decade or so,” said Ratcliffe. “Manchester United has become mediocre. It’s not elite and it is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. That’s what it used to be under Alex. There is major change to come to achieve elite status. But already there has been huge change at this club.

“I can say today that it’s not easy and it’s not quick. It’s a complicated problem and, because it has been going for such a long time in this direction, that’s a lot of inertia that has built up in the organisation. Trying to tum what has been relatively mediocre into an elite, top team is a big task. It’s not an easy problem to solve.”

United are currently languishing in mid-table and Ratcliffe did not attempt to sugar-coat the task ahead. “I don’t enjoy losing. I find that very difficult,” he said. “I quite like the picture of Pep Guardiola [after he scratched his own face during Manchester City’s 3-3 draw against Feyenoord]. He does not like losing.

“Our results have not been fantastic and I don’t like where we are in the league. I like the challenge. It’s one of the biggest challenges in the sporting world — taking United back to where the club should be. That’s a very rewarding challenge if we get there, but it’s a rocky road with ups and downs.

“To get Manchester United to where we need to get it — it’s a bit like the country. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions. If you shy away from the difficult decisions then nothing much is going to change.

“We still have a long way to go and we still have a number of difficult decisions to make but I think we have to do that for the better good.”

United have spent fortunes on players over the decade with little to show for it. Ratcliffe said recruitment has been “poor” and that Amorim’s hands would be tied to a large extent if the squad did not improve.

“We have a fantastic coach. He’s intelligent, thoughtful,” Ratcliffe said of Amorim before adding: “If your squad isn’t good enough you can’t win the Champions League, no matter how good Ruben is. So that’s why we need some patience.”

Whereas many of United’s domestic and European rivals have made great strides in data analysis, Ratcliffe was damning of how far behind the club were on that front.

“Until we’re as good as anyone in the world, then it’s not good enough for Manchester United — we must have the best recruitment in the world,” he said. “Data analysis comes alongside recruitment. It doesn’t really exist here. We’re still in the last century on data analysis here.

“There’s immense amount of useful data that we can get from data analysis and we’re in the ‘very poor’ bracket with data analysis here.”

Despite his criticisms of what he has inherited at United, Ratcliffe said he had a “very good” relationship with the Glazers.

He said: “They’ve had huge amounts of bad press but l will say that they are — and this is whether you like it or not — genuinely nice people. They’re respectful, and Joel and Avi are genuine fans of the club. I really like them as people and we have a very good relationship.”

Ratcliffe has faced accusations of not being interested in the women’s team but said “the perception is slightly misguided”. “There’s only so much that you can do and our focus has been on the men’s team,” he said. “If not, you get spread too thinly.

“We need to sort out the main issue — the men’s team. The women’s team is an opportunity. Women’s football is growing really quickly in popularity and size. We need to participate in that. The girls wear a Manchester United badge on their shirt and they’re representing the club.”

United have posted losses before tax totalling £312.9 million over the past three seasons, leaving the club in a persistent battle to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). Ratcliffe shed around 250 jobs in the summer as part of a significant cost-cutting drive and his team are now in the process of reviewing all non-manpower expenditure, with the Ineos chairman insisting such hard decisions are unavoidable.

“There are financial issues which we need to address because we’ve inherited a financial situation that only time will solve,” he told United We Stand.

“I know we get criticism in the press but we do need to challenge the cost of running this club, because what I want to be free for us to do is buy really good footballers, not spend so much of the money on the infrastructure,” he said.

“We can’t run a business in loss, which is where United have been in the last couple of years — losing money. If you’re losing money then you have to borrow from the bank to pay for the losses. Eventually that becomes unsustainable.

“Your income pays for two things. The cost of running the club and, with what you have left, it pays for new players. If you can run the club efficiently and professionally and do a fantastic job of it without spending huge amounts of money, you get to spend more money on the players.

“Morale will be driven by success on the pitch. If we’re losing matches then I don’t expect morale to be good and if we’re winning matches then it should be good.”

United have come under fire in recent weeks for charging members — including adults, seniors and kids — a flat price of £66 for remaining matches this season. Fans protested against the mid-season hike at last weekend’s game against Everton, with Ratcliffe the subject of some abusive chants.

Ratcliffe accepted ticketing was an “emotive” issue and said he did not “want to end up in a position where the genuine local fans can’t afford to come”.

However, in an apparent signal that prices will rise, he added that the club needed to “optimise our ticket income because it feeds back into how we win the Champions League or Premier League”.

“We need to find a balance. And you can’t be popular all the time either,” he said. “The issue, as you say, is whether this is the thin edge of the wedge. I don’t think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham. I’m not sure there’s an answer that keeps everybody happy, but we need to keep the majority happy.”

On plans to build a new stadium, Ratcliffe said United would not press ahead “unless we are comfortable that we can finance it without risk” but believes the creation of a new 100,000-capacity stadium would see income “go up enormously”. He added: “It would be self-reinforcing.”

• United We Stand is out on general sale now, priced £3.95