Sir Jim Ratcliffe says he will walk away from Manchester United if he fails to turn the club’s fortunes around — but he remains confident they are on the right path.
Ratcliffe’s INEOS took control of the club’s football operations in February 2024 after purchasing a minority stake in the Old Trafford club from the Glazer family.
The British billionaire’s takeover hasn’t been the catalyst for an upturn in form, however, with the club ending last season in eighth in the Premier League, a lowest finish in 34 years.
This season they sit 14th, having moved on from Erik ten Hag in October and replacing him with Ruben Amorim. Should they fail to improve their league position it would be their lowest since relegation in 1974 with the Europa League now their only realistic opportunity of securing European football for next season.
Ratcliffe hasn’t proved any more popular off the pitch either with a raft of cost cutting measures amid five consecutive years of financial losses underway including up to 450 redundancies of club staff.
The Glazer family, who took over the club in 2005, have been the subject of anger from the fanbase for much of their two-decade tenure given the leveraged buyout nature of their takeover and the debt that continues to loom over the club 20 years on.
Supporters have turned their ire on Ratcliffe too in recent months in the wake of ticket-price increases with a number of fans making their feelings known to him personally following the win over Fulham at Craven Cottage in January.
“It can be unpleasant,” Ratcliffe told The Times. “If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that. But I’m no different to the average person. It’s not nice, particularly for friends and family.
“So, eventually, if it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I’d have to say, look, enough’s enough guys, let somebody else do this. They can’t really come to a match, the Glazers. They’ve retreated into the shadows a bit now, so I’m getting all the bloody stick.”
“To be honest with you, if I fail, I’ll step down,” he added. “But I don’t think I’ll fail. As soon as we start playing good football and start winning, it will change.”
United return to action away against Leicester City on Sunday.
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