Man Utd Being Destroyed Under Ratcliffe - Cantona

Manchester United fable Eric Cantona says nan nine is being destroyed nether nan co-ownership of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Ratcliffe's Ineos Group bought a 27.7% liking successful United successful February 2024 worthy astir £1.25bn ($1.6bn).

The Glazer family, who person owned nan 20-time English champions since 2005, clasp a mostly liking but Ineos person taken power of nan club's shot operations.

Last period United unveiled ambitious plans to build an "iconic" caller £2bn, 100,000-seater crushed adjacent to Old Trafford.

The 72-year-old British billionaire's clip astatine Old Trafford has drawn disapproval aft United raised summons prices and made two rounds of redundancies successful a bid to amended nan club's finances.

Ratcliffe defended immoderate of United's financial cost-cutting measures successful a wide-ranging question and reply pinch nan BBC's sports editor Dan Roan successful March wherever he said nan nine would person "run retired of rate by nan extremity of this year" had he not made immoderate "unpopular" decisions.

Speaking astatine an arena astatine non-league FC United, nan nine founded by disgruntled Red Devils fans successful nan aftermath of nan Glazer takeover and successful which Cantona and respective members of his family person signed up to go co-owners, nan Frenchman gave a scathing appraisal of Ratcliffe's impact.

"Since Ratcliffe arrived this squad of board effort to destruct everything and they don't respect anybody," said ex-United guardant Cantona, who made 185 appearances for nan Red Devils from 1992 to 1997.

"I consciousness sad to spot United successful this benignant of situation. They decided thing else. They person different strategy, different project.

"I support United because I really emotion United, but now if I was a instrumentality and I had to take a nine I don't deliberation I would take United."

Cantona, who was capped 45 times by France, said United "needs to find its psyche again" arsenic he questioned nan contented of Sir Alex Ferguson's impending departure arsenic a world ambassador.

Ferguson, who won 13 Premier League titles arsenic United manager, will time off nan domiciled astatine nan extremity of nan season, though nine sources told BBC Sport past October nan determination was taken amicably pursuing a nonstop speech betwixt nan Scot and Ratcliffe.

"He doesn't want Sir Alex Ferguson arsenic an ambassador immoderate more. He is much than a legend," said Cantona.

"The psyche of nan squad and nan nine is not successful nan players - each nan group astir is for illustration a large family. I deliberation it's very important to respect these group for illustration you respect your head and team-mates."

Cantona, 58, besides criticised Ratcliffe's plans to bulldoze Old Trafford successful favour of a caller crushed alternatively of redeveloping their belief home.

He added: "They moreover want to alteration nan stadium. The stadium is iconic. For me, Arsenal mislaid their psyche erstwhile they near Highbury and I'm judge a batch of fans miss Highbury.

"Can you ideate Liverpool playing successful different stadium than Anfield? It's impossible. I don't deliberation United tin play successful different stadium than Old Trafford."

United person declined to remark while BBC Sport has approached Ineos for a response.