Manchester United fans and the broader football community are analyzing the major talking points after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe gave extensive interviews to the BBC and The Overlap, former captain Gary Neville’s platform on Sky Sports.
The timing of these interviews is significant. Ratcliffe’s leadership has faced widespread criticism in recent months, even though he has only held a minority stake in the club for a year. Many feel the club has deteriorated under his watch, despite the initial hope he would be its savior.
Ratcliffe has quickly learned the harsh realities of football ownership. While he has experience with INEOS-owned clubs like OGC Nice and Lausanne-Sport, managing Manchester United brings unprecedented scrutiny and challenges.
His decisions, such as increasing ticket prices, laying off hundreds of staff, cutting employee lunches, reducing financial support for disabled fans, and making dismissive comments about the women’s team, have significantly tarnished his reputation. Once hailed as the club’s savior, Ratcliffe is now deeply unpopular.
It’s clear that these interviews were an attempt at damage control to reclaim some of the narrative. Ratcliffe warned in his BBC interview that without drastic cost-cutting measures, United would “run out of cash” by the end of 2025.
Since last summer, Ratcliffe’s approach has hurt employee morale. He enforced a 100% office-based policy, ending hybrid working, and laid off 250 staff, with plans for 200 more. Cutting the Old Trafford staff canteen, which cost £1m annually, was seen as unnecessarily harsh, especially while underperforming players earn similar amounts monthly.
“I recognize I’m unpopular at the moment, but I am prepared to be, and I can deal with being unpopular for a period of time because I believe that what we’re doing is the right thing,” Ratcliffe said.
Fan frustration peaked last month when it was revealed that over £1bn has been spent servicing the debt from the Glazers’ 2005 leveraged buyout. Ratcliffe downplayed this, arguing that many UK companies carry debt and that profitability would allow repayment.
However, Ratcliffe emphasized that he expects the club to generate revenue to invest in the squad, not to cover operating costs. “Do you want to spend it on operating the club, or do you want to spend it on the squad? What we want to do is invest in the best players in the world if we can, rather than spend it on, I’m afraid, free lunches,” he said.
His ruthless approach has made United a less welcoming workplace, with minor concessions seemingly off the table.
Ratcliffe also assured fans that United won’t be forced to sell players to raise cash, unlike Leeds United’s financial crisis in 2002, which led to their downfall. He insists the focus is on reducing operational costs, not football investment.
“The club had got bloated, so we reduced that and will finish it with a lean and efficient organization. That’s how we will address the costs. The player decisions will all be focused on how we are going to improve performance. That’s all,” he declared.
Despite admitting mistakes—such as retaining Erik ten Hag and mishandling Dan Ashworth—Ratcliffe remains committed to winning the Premier League by 2028, aligning with the club’s 150th anniversary. This goal seems ambitious, given United’s current 14th-place position in the 2024/25 season and the potential for their worst finish since 1974.
“I don’t think it’s mission impossible,” Ratcliffe said, citing Arsenal and Liverpool’s recoveries as examples.
Ratcliffe defended the decision to keep Ten Hag last summer, stating the new sporting hierarchy had only just arrived. However, Ten Hag’s influence on recruitment, particularly the emphasis on Dutch players like Matthijs de Ligt and Joshua Zirkzee, led to his dismissal.
Replacement coach Ruben Amorim has struggled after three months but is seen as a long-term solution. His role as “head coach” reflects a modernized structure above him, and Ratcliffe is committed to giving him time to reshape a squad built by his predecessor.
Ratcliffe also publicly criticized several players, including Antony, Andre Onana, Casemiro, Jadon Sancho, and Rasmus Hojlund, suggesting they are either not good enough or overpaid. While Antony, Sancho, and Casemiro are likely to leave, Hojlund’s inclusion in the list is particularly harsh, given his potential and young age.
Bruno Fernandes, however, was praised as a “fabulous footballer” essential to the club’s future.
Regarding the women’s team, Ratcliffe’s past dismissive comments have angered fans. He claims the criticism is “unfair” and now emphasizes the importance of the women’s team, noting their better performance compared to the men’s side.
“The women’s team wear the Manchester United brand, so in that sense they are every bit as important as the men’s team,” he said.
While Ratcliffe’s tone appears more considerate, his lack of passion for women’s football suggests there won’t be substantial investment to rival Chelsea. Nevertheless, his acknowledgment of the team’s significance marks a small step forward.
Ratcliffe’s leadership is marked by tough decisions and a focus on long-term success, but his popularity among fans and employees remains at an all-time low. Whether his strategies will revive United’s fortunes or deepen its crisis remains to be seen.
