
Manchester United
Premier League • England
INEOS a ‘disgrace’ for creating ‘toxic’ Man Utd environment, with Ratcliffe labelled ‘economically tone-deaf’

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have been blasted for their role in creating an entirely new ‘toxic’ atmosphere at Manchester United amid a series of controversial decisions.
Man Utd fans have long had a problematic relationship with the club’s majority owners, the Glazer family. Supporters were hopeful that Ratcliffe purchasing a 25 per cent stake in the club would improve things both on and off the pitch, but that has not happened so far.
Ratcliffe has implemented a host of cost-cutting measures to improve United’s financial standing, though these have not been universally accepted.
Ratcliffe and his INEOS team have ended Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role, made 250 staff redundant, decreased the value of Christmas bonuses and even cut funding to the Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP), which helps ex-stars who are in need of support.
The public’s view of Ratcliffe has declined rapidly as these cost-cutting measures have coincided with United wasting millions of pounds on giving Erik ten Hag a new contract before sacking him just months later.
Ruben Amorim has replaced Ten Hag in charge of United, though the Red Devils have lost their last four games and sit just 14th in the Premier League table.
On talkSPORT’s Inside Red Devils YouTube show, presenter Flex discussed United’s issues with journalists Alex Crook and Angelina Kelly.
When asked about the fans starting to turn on Ratcliffe, Crook said: “It’s a reaction to the last decade, maybe longer than that actually, of the wretched Glazer regime.
“It’s the toxicity that INEOS have created, the redundancies, getting rid of Sir Alex’s ambassadorial role, cutting Christmas bonuses, cutting money for former players, cutting funding for the charity. Unfortunately [Joshua] Zirkzee [has] felt the brunt of that from the fans.
“If these players have got any guts, or any balls, they will come out and say, ‘Do you know what? We don’t deserve our wages for December, we’ve let you down’.”
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Journalists slam Ratcliffe
On the AFMUP debacle, Kelly said: “They helped fund funerals for ex-players. They have annual events at Old Trafford for this charity and they have to pay to rent it out. United don’t even give them the space to have fundraisers.”
Crook added: “It’s an absolute disgrace.”
Flex, meanwhile, called Ratcliffe ‘economically tone-deaf’ after deciding to raise ticket prices to £66 for all fans. Tickets were previously £40 for an adult and £25 for children.
Things could get worse before they get better, too. United face the incredibly difficult task of trying to end their losing run in upcoming fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal.
Amorim cannot rely on a plethora of January signings to improve the situation, either. United are operating close to their profit and sustainability limit and will therefore need to offload several players before they can bring in new additions.
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Meanwhile, United have been tipped to offload three of their biggest earners to help fund an ambitious move for Amorim’s former Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.
Marcus Rashford, Casemiro and Antony have all been put on the loan market ahead of potential exits this month.
Amorim has increased the pressure on United officials to sign Gyokeres, though it remains to be seen whether these exits will be enough.
Elsewhere, Jamie Carragher has weighed in on Amorim’s disappointing start to life at United.
“Amorim’s arrival was supposed to echo Jurgen Klopp’s at Liverpool, both in terms of the point of the season at which he took over, and the galvanising impact on players and supporters. Currently, Amorim’s reign has more in common with Graham Potter’s brief spell at Chelsea, where a deteriorating situation was made worse,” he wrote in his latest column.
“Five defeats for United in the past six league games is horrendous. Even the last win, against Manchester City, was due to a freakish finale rather than an excellent 90-minute performance.”
But Carragher did back to Amorim to succeed eventually, labelling him as someone with the ‘aura of a top coach’.