Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's patience with one of his sporting investments away from football hints is the biggest hint yet of his desire to bring success to the club.

Ratcliffe owns 28.94 per cent of United after increasing his share in the club with a final instalment payment of £79million in December. The stake is now valued just over £1.25billion.

Since his deal with the Glazers family was complete at the end of 2023, results have been mixed on the pitch. A FA Cup final win over Manchester City in May is the highlight, so far, with United currently sat in the Premier League bottom half places.

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Away from Old Trafford, Ratcliffe and Ineos have their fingers in a number of sports pies including Mercedes Formula One, cycling's Ineos Grenadiers - formerly Team Sky, Ligue 1 side Nice and Swiss Super League club Lausanne-Sport.

One venture that is slightly more complicated is his backing of four-time Olympic goal medallist sailor Ben Ainslie. The Telegraph have reported that Ratcliffe's support to win the America's Cup is on the brink of collapse due to tensions between the two men.

Ratcliffe has funded two attempts at winning the America's Cup but they have only managed to reach the final at best last year. It's understood that the United co-owner has spent as much as £200million on the ventures.

Despite another sporting project seemingly close to defeat, United should take some encouragement over Ratcliffe's patience with his investments. That's according to Chief Business of Football Writer at Reach PLC, Dave Powell, who has analysed the comparisons between Ainslie's relationship with Ratcliffe and United's.

“Ratcliffe’s investment in INEOS Britannia and Ben Ainslie’s pursuit of America’s Cup glory has been borne from a personal passion and desire to deliver success. He has an emotional involvement in it," he said.

“But £200m spent on two failed bids to win the competition was not in the plan, and for a man who would expect results, it hardly seems surprising that tensions between he and Ainslie have risen.

“Investing where emotion is concerned is something that some US investors that I’ve spoken to in recent years have always tried to shy away from as it can cloud judgment and rational business sense can go out of the window.

“Ratcliffe’s approach to what is happening at Manchester United is one of trying to make the club more efficient and cut costs, at the same time as trying to get plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium that would shape the financial future of the football club off the ground.

“But his strain with his America’s Cup endeavours at present should be instructive as to how patient he will be when it comes to not getting a return on investment. His tolerance will be far greater for that at United as it is a long-term project, but it is still one where he is emotionally invested through being a boyhood United fan, and that can cause problems.

“The lack of success for his £200m and search for an America’s Cup triumph could well be impactful as to how he is approaching his co-ownership of United, which has a far more prudent approach to trying to raise standards and achieve success.”