Sir Jim Ratcliffe has claimed the Manchester United squad is littered with players who are “overpaid” and “not good enough”. The INEOS chief has been in charge of United for over a year, with criticisms about his ownership having begun to surface. And he has brutally claimed the club “inherited” five players who he does not appear to rate very highly.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS chums had opted to keep former United boss Erik ten Hag in the summer, despite calls for the Dutchman to be sacked. Ten Hag was eventually let go from his role as manager nine Premier League matches into the season, with Ruben Amorim parachuted in from Portuguese outfit Sporting.
The change of manager hasn’t had the desired effect, as United currently find themselves 14th in the table and, with 10 matches of the season left to play, are on course for their worst-ever Premier League finish. Having already been knocked out of the FA Cup, it means Amorim’s side will likely only qualify for Europe next season if they win the Europa League this year.
It’s ramped the pressure up on the ownership, with Ratcliffe addressing the current state of the United squad, as well as name-dropping five players, during an interview with BBC Sport. The billionaire said: “If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn’t buy, we’re buying Antony, we’re buying Casemiro, we’re buying Onana, we’re buying Hojlund, we’re buying Sancho.
“These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we’ve inherited those things and have to sort that out. For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we’re paying £17m to buy him in the summer.”
How United go on to address that issue could prove a concern, given the Premier League side are already said to be battling PSR problems. However, Ratcliffe believes if it wasn’t for his arrival, the club would’ve “ran out of money by 2025”.
He added: “Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of this year – by the end of 2025 – after having me put $300m (£232.72m) in and if we buy no new players in the summer. We are in the process of change and it’s an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans. The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don’t do those things.”
It comes after United chiefs made the decision to scrap concession price tickets for Old Trafford matches, as well as make over 200 redundancies during Ratcliffe’s first year in charge. On the cost-cutting methods implemented during his short time in charge, the 72-year-old continued: “If you spend more than you earn eventually that’s the road to ruin.
“And the club needs to get its house back into order so it’s on a good financial footing for the future. Most clubs in the UK – most companies – have debt of some form. But if the club is really profitable, which I think it will be in years to come, then you can do the reverse. You can start paying down the debt. That’s where I think Manchester United should be.”
The Red Devils return to action on Thursday night when they host Real Sociedad at Old Trafford for the second leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. United and La Real are currently level, having played out a 1-1 draw in Spain last week.
