GLAZER FAMILY QUESTIONS RATCLIFFE’S MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGEMENT

People close to the Glazer family say they are dissatisfied with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s management of Manchester United. One person with social ties to the family said: “It’s a travesty and not what they expected or were promised.” Another family-linked person said Ratcliffe “couldn’t have masterminded a worse situation”. The comments concern Ratcliffe’s oversight of football operations since his INEOS group acquired a minority stake in United in 2024.

Ratcliffe acquired around a quarter of Manchester United in a deal that gave INEOS responsibility for football matters, while the Glazers retained majority ownership. The deal valued the share purchase at roughly £1.2 billion and included a further £245 million commitment for infrastructure improvements at Old Trafford, bringing Ratcliffe’s reported outlay to about £1.5 billion. The Glazers bought United in 2005 through a leveraged buyout that placed debt against the club. United finished 15th in the Premier League last season and lost to League Two side Grimsby in the Carabao Cup. The club is also reported to be on an eight-match winless run across all competitions.

The Glazer family retains authority over any prospective sale of Manchester United. A family-linked person described changes across departments at Old Trafford as “the opposite of what he said his strategy is.” United’s reported share price stands at £15.60, compared with the £25 per share Ratcliffe paid. The reported dissatisfaction centres on whether INEOS has delivered the approach the Glazers expected when they agreed to hand it control of football operations.