Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly left some staff “embarrassed” as the “explosion” “went down like a lead balloon”.
Ratcliffe has faced intense criticism since joining the Premier League giants in early 2024.
Ratcliffe, who bought a 27% stake in Man United for around £1.25bn, took control of football operations at Old Trafford and felt he needed to introduce a brutal cost-cutting program to make ends meet following years of mismanagement by the Glazer family.
Although this was a wise decision and Man United’s financial position improved, Ratcliffe quickly became a hated figure at Old Trafford and some of the cuts were deemed too harsh.
INEOS chiefs have authorized mass layoffs, reduced payments to club legends and benefits to staff, while also increasing ticket prices.
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Ratcliffe has also carried out an investigation into Manchester United’s current facilities, with the British billionaire claiming the academy has been “really declining” recently.
Appearing on the Times’ podcast The Business, Ratcliffe said: “At Manchester United, the academy is really down.
“Academies always need to produce talented people.
“It helps financially. It’s not a light switch. Academy issues aren’t going to be solved overnight. It’s going to take time. We just hired a new academy director.”
Now, a report in The Sun has revealed how “staff and parents” have reacted to these comments, claiming they are “left bewildered by his outburst”.
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It has been suggested that these comments “disappeared like a lead balloon” internally, as there is a sense that Ratcliffe does not truly reflect the academy.
A source at The Sun said: “Sir Jim’s comments do not represent how parents feel about the club. They have only made some boys and their parents worried.”
“He may realize that what he has said means that some families are starting to think that their children’s future may be best spent at other clubs.
“His comments are unhelpful and confusing because most people are happy with United. They have access to a great pitch and the changing rooms are great.”
“They have opened a new parents’ lounge and the boys have access to state-of-the-art facilities used by the first team for gym and rehabilitation. This is in stark contrast to Sir Jim’s comments.”
“The majority of parents said it appeared that Sir Jim had his own agenda that was inconsistent with what was actually happening.
“The coaches try to lighten up and put on a brave face, but you can see Sir Jim’s comments are hurting them. They don’t understand what he’s saying.”
