Sir Jim Ratcliffe blasts Man Utd star in new book ahead of Old Trafford arrival

Ratcliffe is set to take sporting control of United, who were dire in a 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

Yet the 70-year-old has risked upsetting club captain Fernandes, having opted to criticise the midfielder in a new book.

Writing in Grit, Rigour & Humour: The Ineos Story, Ratcliffe talks about his travels on his rise to becoming a billionaire.

He says he remembers a trip around the Pacific where he felt the 'felt the ground tremble every time a Cook Islander smashed into another in a local rugby match'.

Ratcliffe also notes one player was 'carted off in the back of a pick-up with a broken leg'.

Yet he then decides to take aim at Fernandes, saying it was a 'far cry from Bruno Fernandes clutching his untouched face in the Liverpool debacle recently'.

Ratcliffe was referring to United's shambolic 7-0 defeat to their fierce rivals earlier in the year.

​United travelled to Anfield on March 5 hoping to beat Jurgen Klopp's side.

But the Red Devils were flat, with Fernandes among the players to struggle the most.

Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez all netted braces for Liverpool as they put United to the sword.

And Roberto Firmino was also on target as Liverpool clocked up one of their most sensational victories in Premier League history.

Questions were asked of Fernandes after his poor performance that day.

​Yet that didn't stop manager Erik ten Hag from making Fernandes his captain back in the summer.

The Portugal international remains a key cog in the Dutchman's machine.

However, Fernandes has been unable to help United improve this season with the club lurching from one crisis to another.

Ten Hag's side went into Saturday's match with Bournemouth on a high after beating Chelsea last week.

Not for the first time, however, they were insipid as the Cherries won 3-0 to consign the Red Devils to another Premier League defeat.

Fernandes, meanwhile, apologised after that match and insisted United must do better.

"I want to apologise for the performance. It was not acceptable, starting with me. I'm not talking about anyone else," he said.

"But I think everyone agrees in the dressing room that the performance was (not) at our level and we have to perform much better.

"It was underperforming quality-wise, effort-wise and not as aggressive as we were in the last game against Chelsea.

"If you don't do your job, you're not going to win the game."

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He added: "I don't know (why it was so different to Chelsea) but it's been consistently like (this).

"When we win a game, the next one we don't perform in the same way we did before.

"I don't know if it's like a lack of concentration or focus or something else, but it's something that we have to be aware that after winning a game we have to get that consistency of winning games.

"Even sometimes (if we are) underperforming but getting the result."