Ratcliffe would leave Man Utd if criticism ´reached the extent´ of Glazer family abuse

Manchester United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe conceded he would walk away from Old Trafford if criticism towards him “reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused”.

The club has endured a torrid 2024-25 season, both on and off the field, despite Tuesday’s announcement of plans to build a new £2billion 100,000-seater stadium.

Erik ten Hag was replaced by Ruben Amorim in the dugout in November, though the Portuguese has not been able to significantly improve the fortunes of United, who occupy 14th place in the Premier League.

Meanwhile, supporters have also become disgruntled with Ratcliffe and Ineos, with some holding a protest against the ownership ahead of last weekend’s clash with Arsenal.

Several cost-cutting measures – including a second round of redundancies, an increase in ticket prices and removal of free staff lunches – have drawn widespread criticism.

While Ratcliffe says he does not mind being “unpopular”, the 72-year-old acknowledges he will only be able to tolerate so much criticism.

“I mean, I can put up with it for a while,” Ratcliffe told The Sunday Times. “I don’t mind being unpopular, because I get that nobody likes seeing Manchester United down where they are, and nobody likes the decisions we’re having to make at the moment.

“If I draw a bit of ire, I can put up with that. 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’.

“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.

“We bought in, and I haven’t seen them since. It’s: ‘Thank you, Jim, you’re doing a really good job’.

“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.”

Hitting his stride#MUFC || #UEL pic.twitter.com/iQnbD2JzHk

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) March 15, 2025