Nice goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel says he is “hoping” Sir Jim Ratcliffe wins the race to become Manchester United’s new owner.

Schmeichel, whose father Peter is a club legend, claims that Ratcliffe has demonstrated some excellent qualities during his time as owner of Nice. He believes his presence at matches, his knowledge of football and his utilisation of experts in performance, make him perfectly suited to improving United’s fortunes:

“I think with Manchester United particularly, Jim [Ratcliffe] is a big fan of the club and that speaks a lot to fans. He’s someone coming in who cares deeply about the club. From my own experience at Nice, he’s a man who is present, he comes to games, a guy that’s knowledgable about football and who has a vast knowledge about performance in general.”

“He has people like Dave Brailsford working for him, who again, are present and I think that’s the main thing with any club I’ve played at, look at Leicester, for example, the owners are present and there is not a divide. So I think – and I’m biased hoping INEOS are the preferred bidders – let’s wait and see.”

Ratcliffe is the favourite to emerge as the preferred bidder currently, as his offer for a 50% stake in the club reportedly values United at above £5 Billion.

However, many supporters are not happy with Ratcliffe’s proposal as they are keen for the Glazers to leave Old Trafford. At the moment, the only bid for the Red Devils that would lead to a 100% takeover comes from Sheikh Jassim.

Other interest parties, including American investment companies Elliott Management, the Carlyle Group and Ares Management, are only looking for a minority stake that will keep United under the control of the Glazers.