Glazers furious at Ratcliffe's 'travesty' as United sink to bottom five

Manchester United’s majority owners, the Glazer family, are furious with Jim Ratcliffe’s stewardship of the club and believe his leadership has fallen far short of what was promised, according to a report by the Daily Mail’s Ian Herbert.

Ratcliffe’s company INEOS assumed control of United’s football operations after securing a 25 percent stake in December 2023, later rising to 28 percent. Despite enormous investment in the playing squad, the club has continued to underperform — finishing third in the Premier League last season and now sitting in the bottom five after winning just two of their opening 12 fixtures across all competitions this term.

“It’s a travesty and not what they expected or were promised,” a source told Herbert. “They have never run the club this way.”

The Glazers, who retain majority ownership of Old Trafford, are said to be less engaged with the club than ever, with their relationship with United supporters remaining one of deep hostility. Herbert reports that a sale of the club is a possibility in the longer term, though the $6 billion (£4.5bn) valuation the family placed on United when they sought a buyer four years ago is described as “looking more unrealistic than ever.”

The ownership structure contains a significant clause: from February, the Glazers will be able to force Ratcliffe out of his stake and sell the entire club to a third party without his consent, unless he can match any offer and purchase the club outright.

On the pitch, the situation is no less turbulent. Michael Carrick, appointed on a permanent basis as head coach at the end of last season after initially stepping in as interim, has overseen a deeply troubled start to the campaign. Two senior players have publicly broken ranks in recent weeks — one criticising technical director Jason Wilcox, another questioning Carrick’s tactical approach — adding to a growing sense of dysfunction both on and off the field.

United face Chelsea in the Premier League on Saturday.