Ratcliffe signals he could quit United as Beckham backed to replace INEOS stake

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has acknowledged he would consider stepping back from Manchester United if supporter anger towards him escalated to the levels endured by the Glazer family, as protests against the club’s ownership erupted during Tuesday’s Champions League comeback win over Roma at Old Trafford.

United trailed 2-0 before Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty and Matheus Cunha scored twice to hand Michael Carrick’s side a 3-2 victory — ending a nine-match winless run. Despite the result, sections of the crowd directed chants at both Ratcliffe and the Glazers, with INEOS’s co-owner bearing much of the visible backlash given the American family’s reduced public presence at the club.

Ratcliffe, 74, who acquired an initial 25 per cent stake in United in December 2023 with his INEOS organisation overseeing football operations, addressed the prospect of an exit in comments previously given to The Times. “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’,” he said. “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 stick.”

He added that he could tolerate a degree of criticism but drew a clear personal limit. “It’s not nice, particularly for friends and family. So, eventually… it just wouldn’t be fun,” he said.

Those remarks have taken on fresh significance given the renewed fan unrest, with United sitting in an underwhelming position in the Premier League table after a difficult start to the campaign.

Meanwhile, former France international Djibril Cissé has put forward David Beckham as a credible candidate to take over from INEOS should Ratcliffe choose to sell. Beckham, 51, brings executive-level ownership experience as co-owner of MLS club Inter Miami, a role that has given him a working knowledge of running a football organisation at the highest level.

Cissé’s suggestion reflects a broader conversation among supporters about who might provide more stable and popular stewardship of the club, though no formal approach or sale process has been reported.