Ratcliffe's self-set exit threshold 'met' as Beckham takeover bid gains backing

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is under growing pressure at Manchester United after supporters staged protests against the club’s ownership during Tuesday’s Champions League comeback victory over Roma at Old Trafford, with some observers arguing the INEOS chief has now met the threshold he once set for his own departure.

United trailed 2-0 before Bruno Fernandes converted a penalty and Matheus Cunha scored twice to seal a 3-2 win for Michael Carrick’s side — ending a nine-game winless run. Yet the result did little to silence the discontent in the stands, where chants were directed at both Ratcliffe and the Glazer family throughout the match.

Ratcliffe, 74, purchased an initial 25 per cent stake in United in December 2023, with his INEOS group overseeing footballing decisions at the club. In a previous interview with The Times, he had indicated he would step aside if fan hostility reached the levels directed at the Glazers.

“If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that,” Ratcliffe said at the time. “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’.”

He added: “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. At the moment, I don’t have security, I don’t have to walk around like that. But it would defeat the object, wouldn’t it? You couldn’t tolerate it at that level, it just wouldn’t be fun.”

With those words now being revisited in light of Tuesday’s protests, speculation over INEOS’s long-term future at Old Trafford has intensified.

Former Premier League striker Djibril Cissé has added fuel to that speculation by publicly backing United legend David Beckham as a potential replacement for Ratcliffe. Beckham, 51, brings boardroom experience as co-owner of MLS franchise Inter Miami.

“Could David Beckham replace the Glazers and INEOS at Manchester United? Why not?” Cissé said, suggesting the former England captain’s profile and connection to the club could make him a credible candidate should INEOS choose to sell their stake.

United face Aston Villa at the weekend as Carrick looks to build on the Roma result and ease some of the pressure surrounding the club’s ownership.