‘This is how Jim Ratcliffe’s comments have impacted Man United’s star players, inclduing Kobbie Mainoo’
Sir Jim Ratcliffe could have alienated half of his Man United squad with his inflammatory comments surrounding immigration to the United Kingdom.
The part-owner’s claim that the UK is being “colonised by immigrants” has been met with staunch backlash, including a club statement distancing themselves from the quote.
However, former Man United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that the players are unlikely to be affected by Ratcliffe in terms of their happiness at the club.
Noise coming out of the club says that they are intelligent enough to ignore his rantings and realise that the majority at Old Trafford do not echo his views.
United, alongside their Premier League counterparts and clubs throughout Britain, have greatly benefited from immigration throughout their history and still do now.
How have Ratcliffe’s comments impacted the players?
Brown told Football Insider on 16 February that INEOS are destroying the values of Man United, while Ratcliffe’s comments are a “disgrace”.
The positive news is that the players, while many are understandably annoyed by his comments, are not facing any major issues over them.
“I’ve not heard anything to suggest it’s had a real impact,” Brown told Football Insider.
“I think the players have got more brains than he has, in all honesty, they’re intelligent lads and they understand that his views aren’t reflective of the club.
“They’re not shared by the majority at Old Trafford, let’s put it that way, and the players will know that from people they see day to day.
“It’s a very fair question, because the players are well within their rights to be annoyed and I’m sure many of them are.
“For example: if you were Kobbie Mainoo, whose parents are from Ghana, what would you be thinking?
“But from what I hear, they realise the truth of the situation and that is that Ratcliffe and his views have no impact on Man United as a football club.
“This it the thing though, we shouldn’t even have to be considering whether the owner’s political statements might impact the players, it’s embarrassing.
“In the position he is in, he should never have been allowed to come out and say things like that which are obviously going to lead to problems.”
Man United risk losing sponsors after new concerns
While the fallout from Ratcliffe’s comments continues to make waves at Old Trafford, they are still dealing with lingering concerns with sponsorship.
Former Everton CEO Keith Wyness told Football Insider on 12 February that Man United’s commercial operations have been impacted by INEOS’ cutbacks.
Ratcliffe has prevented staff from offering sweeteners to keep sponsors happy, while their commercial staff cutbacks have made it difficult to maintain relationships.
This comes at a time when United have faced multiple issues over the past few months, after losing significant sponsorship deals elsewhere.
They are also currently without a training kit partner after their Tezos deal, which was worth around £24million a year, came to an end last summer.
For more Man United and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.