Rene Meulensteen has shared his scepticism regarding ambitious Project 150 plans. The founder of and co-owner of Manchester United, Ratcliffe has grand designs to restore the Red Devils to the pinnacle of the by 2028, in line with the club's official 150-year anniversary.

However, the coveted Premier League title has remained elusive for Old Trafford since the retirement of at the conclusion of the 2012/13 season. Despite employing a series of high-profile managers - including and - United have yet to replicate the consistent success they enjoyed during the Ferguson era. Meulensteen, who served as the legendary Scotsman's deputy, believes that Ratcliffe's current plans are far from fruition.

In an interview on the High Performance Podcast, Meulensteen brutally admitted: "They're miles away."

He added: "If you look at Manchester United, what they've lost is a kind of an authority, a kind of a fear factor, a kind of an identity so to speak. When Man United came to town, they rolled up, this is what you're going to get.

"At this moment in time, you don't know what you're going to get, you know? And that is, I think, testament for a lot of things. A lot of changes that haven't taken place, so many managers have come and gone. There's changes constantly about playing styles - we're going in at this moment, we're very keen on persisting to that 3-4-3 system, where everybody is debating and questioning, is that the right way forward?

"That constant winning culture that Manchester United had over the years has been diluted, and they look being further away than ever before. Look at their position in the Premier League, they're 13th or 14th, no chance of getting into the top four - very little chance of getting to Europe as well.

" is a massive competition for them to make sure that they stay in that, and that might be the back door for them to get into the ." After a lacklustre start to the season, Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag as Manchester United head coach in November, with the team currently sitting 13th in the Premier League table.

The club faces a daunting challenge to secure European qualification. With only nine games remaining, they are 11 points adrift of Europa League qualification and 12 points shy of the top four. Their lowest-ever Premier League finish in eighth place last season was salvaged by an final victory over Manchester City, securing European football by the narrowest of margins.

Consequently, Amorim's last remaining realistic hope to salvage the season is success in UEFA's second-tier competition, where a two-legged quarter-final against Lyon awaits next month. Despite the seemingly insurmountable task of achieving Project 150, Ratcliffe shared his optimism with Sky Sports last month, saying: "I do not think it's mission impossible. I think it's good to have goals."

However, Meulensteen isn't alone in his scepticism regarding Ratcliffe's ambitions, as ex-United ace Nicky Butt has also recently shared his reservations. Butt told : "That ain't going to happen. It's going to be a long way off, and the most important thing is starting on the right foot.

"Hopefully get this season put to bed because it's been a disaster. What gets me is that everyone expects other clubs to sit still. Newcastle, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal will get better. Man City will definitely get better."

He continued: "Over the years, Man United has looked like it's a plaster on a gaping wound. It doesn't work. They haven't got the finances, they have to get their house in order, they have to be a proper football club that work to a design, an ethos and a recruitment drive of how to get players in and get them out for big money.

"Obviously, they've got rid of , which I thought was a strange one, having worked so hard to get him from Newcastle. I think even if you got David Gill and Sir Alex back there, it's going to be a struggle for a long time. We're at the bottom of the mountain and there's a massive climb to get up."