SOME Manchester United players are “not good enough” and some are “overpaid”, the club’s co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says.
Midfielder Casemiro, striker Rasmus Hojlund, goalkeeper Andre Onana, and wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho – who are on loan at other clubs – were namechecked by the billionaire in an interview with BBC Sport as players his regime had “inherited”.
Ratcliffe, a lifelong Manchester United fan, is the chairman of petrochemicals company Ineos, which has a strong sport investment arm.
The 72-year-old last year spent £1.3bn for a 28.94% stake in the club in a deal which saw Ineos take control of football operations.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ratcliffe addressed the side’s recent struggles on the pitch – they are 14th in the Premier League table – and repeated a pledge to deliver silverware by 2028.
And talking just a day after fans protested against United’s ownership, he also spoke of the club’s financial difficulties, saying it was set to run out of money by the end of the year without taking actions he admitted were “unpopular”.
Ratcliffe also spoke about:
Marcus Rashford’s departure from the club on loan to Aston Villa
How backing then sacking ex-manager Erik ten Hag – and hiring sporting director Dan Ashworth, who left after five months – were “errors”
How he believes the club had “come off the rails”
How he believes head coach Ruben Amorim will be at the club for “a long time”
How he plans to make Manchester United “the most profitable club in the world”
Plans to deliver a new world-class stadium
His challenging first year at the club
His sympathy with fans for some of the changes he felt needed to be made
And how he felt criticism over a perceived lack of support for the women’s team was “unfair”