Ratcliffe laments 'overpaid,' inadequate Man Utd players in candid interview

Sir Jim Ratcliffe spoke out against past mistakes made by Manchester United and defended controversial cost-cutting decisions in a candid interview one day after fans protested against the club's ownership.

The British billionaire, who co-owns the team after his company Ineos purchased a 28.94% stake last year, said some at Manchester United are "overpaid" and cited a handful of players who were "inherited," such as Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana, and Jadon Sancho.

He admitted his frustration that United are still committed to paying instalments of transfer fees for the trio and other under-performing players, some of whom aren't even at the club right now.

"If you look at the players we are buying this summer, that we didn't buy, we're buying Antony, we're buying Casemiro, we're buying Onana, we're buying Hojlund, we're buying Sancho," Ratcliffe said, according to the BBC Sport's Dan Roan.

"These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out."

He continued: "For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea (on loan), and we pay half his wages, we're paying £17 million to buy him in the summer."

Antony, who's on loan at Real Betis, is perhaps the most polarizing of the players Ratcliffe highlighted. The Brazilian struggled after joining for €100 million from Ajax in 2022, scoring just 12 goals in 96 games.

When asked if he thought the players in question were inadequate, Ratcliffe said: "Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mold the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.

"We've got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future."

Unapologetic over staff cuts

There's been an overhaul behind the scenes in recent months, which has resulted in staff reductions due to financial reasons. But Ratcliffe was unapologetic over decisions to make 450 of the club's 1,140-person staff redundant.

Ratcliffe highlighted one dismissal in particular, telling The Times' Matt Lawton: "We found out we even had a body language consultant on £175,000 a year."

Even legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson wasn't safe from the cost-cutting measures after his £2-million consultancy contract was ended.

"(Ferguson was) maybe a little bit grumpy at the beginning, but he got it, and he came back three days later, after talking to his son, and said, 'Fine, I'm going to step away from it. My decision.' I think it reflects really well on Alex because he put the club before himself."

The move was widely criticized. It was one of a number of stories that have come to light in recent months about the club's quest to become financially viable.

Job cuts are part of the reason why thousands of United supporters protested against the club's ownership, including the Glazer family, before Sunday's draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford. Rising ticket prices and the team's poor performances this season were other reasons for the pre-arranged demonstration.

But Ratcliffe defended all of the decisions as necessary for the club to overcome past mistakes.

"I know it's unpopular, and this period of change is uncomfortable for people, and some of the decisions we have to make are unpleasant," he told BBC's Roan.

"But they are necessary to put Manchester United back on to a stable footing. If people want to see Manchester United winning trophies again, then we have do all this stuff."

Ratcliffe added: "Manchester United would have run out of cash by the end of this year - by the end of 2025 - after having me put $300 million (£232.72 million) in and if we buy no new players in the summer.

"We are in the process of change, and it's an uncomfortable period and disruptive, and I do feel sympathy with the fans.

"The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things."

Manchester United are likely to experience further financial inconveniences this season for failing to qualify for any European competition next season. The club sits 14th in the Premier League with 10 games remaining.

Ratcliffe added that he thinks Ruben Amorim, who was hired after Erik ten Hag was dismissed earlier this season, is doing a "really good job" despite facing difficult circumstances and that the Portuguese coach will in charge "for a long time."