Erik ten Hag has already warned Sir Jim Ratcliffe about Manchester United transfer strategy

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Finally, after almost 12 months of speculation, there appears to be an end in sight to the Manchester United takeover saga.
After Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani pulled out of the bidding race on Saturday evening, British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now in pole position to invest in the club. He wants to secure a minority stake, amounting to 25 per cent.
For United's fans, however, it means the Glazers will retain full control of the club. Ratcliffe, though, will be hoping to make his mark by pouring money into the club and giving the supporters a much-needed boost.
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Over the course of the last 11 months, United's supporters, understandably, have demanded that only a full sale would suffice. They are desperate for the Glazers' time in office, which has spanned more than 18 years, to come to an end as soon as possible.
But now Sheikh Jassim is out of the running, Ratcliffe, certainly currently, is United's only hope of fresh investment, even though it will not be on the same level as the Qatari was promising. Though Sheikh Jassim's bid, certainly on paper, appeared promising, there was no guarantee that simply throwing billions of pounds at the project would have resulted in success.
The same goes for Ratcliffe and the likelihood of him wanting to loosen the purse strings. United, regardless of who is in charge of the money box, need to be sensible in their approach.
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has spent north of £1billion on transfers in just three windows. The Londoners are currently 11th in the Premier League table.
It goes to show that simply throwing money around willy-nilly will not guarantee success. It needs to be done properly, with a clear plan and strategy that everyone is in agreement with.
(Image: Alex Broadway/Getty Images.)
Speaking in May, United manager Erik ten Hag said: "In this moment, [there is] a centralisation of good players, of the best managers, also about the money - it's all here in the UK. That makes a great competition but also a tough and a hard competition.
"You have to do the right things, you can have money but you have to do it and spend it in a smart way and you need to have a strategy behind it. Otherwise, the money doesn't work. When there is no strategy or the right strategy, money doesn't work.
"I think there are many more teams in the Premier League who are really strong. Talking about Aston Villa, talking about Brighton, talking about Brentford, I think there are many more teams who are really strong and tough and it is not only those top six clubs."
Ten Hag's thoughts on recruitment should serve as a warning to Ratcliffe. Though there are no guarantees, if his plan is to invest in United and immediately splash the cash like a bull in a china shop on players to get supporters onside, he must think again.
Granted, United's supporters want to see an improvement in the standard of recruitment, but it needs to be done sensibly, not erratically. United have overspent on too many players in recent years and mistakes of that type cannot be allowed to continue.
Of course, Ratcliffe will want to make his mark to show that he means business at Old Trafford, and by investing in the playing squad and the infrastructure will support his case. Doing it sensibly, however, will be key.

This data comes from MediaIntel.Asia's Media Intelligence and Media Monitoring Platform.