Ranked: Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s biggest mistakes since Man United takeover
When Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired control of Manchester United back in December 2023, it signified the start of a new era at Old Trafford.
Supporters had grown frustrated with the Glazer family as well as a lack of success on the pitch, and welcomed a change in ideas and philosophy.
However, after nearly two years of the Ratcliffe reign, the situation at Man United has descended into chaos, with disarray prevalent on and off the pitch.
Football Insider explores the five key mistakes made so far by the British billionaire and why it has left him no choice but to stick with manager Ruben Amorim.
5) The Sir Alex Ferguson debacle
Sir Alex Ferguson is the most decorated Man United manager of all time, winning a staggering 38 trophies during his 26 years in charge, including 13 Premier League and two Champions League titles.
Following his retirement in 2013, Ferguson was honoured by being appointed as a global ambassador for the club and was regularly seen in the director’s box at Old Trafford.
However, as part of Ratcliffe’s controversial cost-cutting measures, the Scot was relieved of his position at the end of last season, with the club citing the need to save money as justification for the decision.
While Ferguson clearly had no impact on any of the decision-making in his ambassadorial role, the decision to strip him of his title signifies the ownership’s disregard for the history at United.
As a manager, the 83-year-old propelled the Red Devils above any other English team, and at the time of his retirement, Man United were arguably the biggest club in the world, on a commercial and footballing level.
Ferguson’s departure has had no impact on the performances on the pitch, but it represents the disconnect between the INEOS-Ratcliffe ownership and the United fans.
4) Mass redundancies
When Ratcliffe took control of the Red Devils, it was clear that their crippling debt needed to be addressed.
However, instead of focusing on the poor recruitment strategy, the billionaire set his sights on the everyday staff at the club.
Ratcliffe sanctioned 250 redundancies at Man United in July 2024, a move that would have saved the club just £10million.
In that same summer, the Red Devils splashed over £200m on new players, building a squad that subsequently led them to a record low Premier League finish of 15th.
| Player | Price |
| Leny Yoro | £52m |
| Manuel Ugarte | £42.2m |
| Matthijs De Ligt | £38.5m |
| Joshua Zirkzee | £36m |
| Patrick Dorgu | £25.2m |
| Noussair Mazraoui | £12.8m |
| Total | £206.7m |
Understandably, the job cuts caused a huge amount of controversy, sparking extremely negative press around Ratcliffe.
It was an avoidable and completely pointless PR disaster, and a move that reflects the entirety of the INEOS era.
Despite all the cost-cutting efforts, Man United confirmed they had made a loss for the 2024/25 season, in their newly published accounts.
3) Dan Ashworth embarrassment
Dan Ashworth was meant to be INEOS and Ratcliffe’s big new hire that revolutionised the recruitment and overall running of the football club, but ended up lasting just five months at Old Trafford.
Man United spent £3m to prise Ashworth away from Newcastle United, and then had to wait almost half a year before they could appoint him as their sporting director, due to legal issues.
The 54-year-old was finally announced by United at the beginning of July 2024, but by December of the same year, his time at the club had come to an end.
Ashworth reportedly fell out with Ratcliffe and others in the hierarchy at Man United, which ultimately led to his shock departure less than six months after joining.
It was already an embarrassing situation for INEOS, sacking a sporting director who they had worked so hard to bring in, but to make matters worse, the whole ordeal cost the club around £10m, as they had to terminate Ashworth’s contract.
2) Erik Ten Hag’s sacking
Erik Ten Hag was sacked by Man United at the end of October 2024, but many felt that this decision had come four months too late.
The Dutchman was on the verge of dismissal at the end of the 2023/24 season, but managed to save his job at the last moment, as the Red Devils beat arch-rivals Manchester City to win the FA Cup.
United had finished eighth in the Premier League and were clearly going backwards under the former Ajax boss, but after cup success, the board extended his contract until 2026.
As a result, Ten Hag was given the 2024 summer transfer window to recruit and bring in the players to fit into his style of play.
However, just nine games into the Premier League season, Man United realised their mistake, and spent over £10m to sack the 55-year-old.
The Red Devils then subsequently brought in Amorim, spending £11m to take him away from Sporting Lisbon in the middle of the season.
It meant their delayed dismissal of Ten Hag had cost them over £20m, as well as the £200m of players they had bought in that didn’t fit the new style of play Amorim wanted to introduce.
1) Appointment of Ruben Amorim
After almost a year of consistent mistakes, Ratcliffe was finally given the opportunity to appoint a new man in the dugout, his man, his decision.
When he was approached by Man United, Amorim made it clear that he wanted to see out the 2024/25 campaign with Sporting Lisbon, but the 20-time Premier League champions insisted that he join immediately.
What has followed can only be described as a catastrophe.
Amorim led Man United to their worst-ever Premier League finish, picking up just 42 points as they sank to 15th in the table.
To make matters worse, Man United were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham, meaning they will not compete in Europe this season.
The situation has failed to improve in the new campaign, with rumours of disagreements between Amorim and the Man United hierarchy and continued poor showings on the pitch.
Without a miraculous turnaround, the appointment of the 40-year-old will be viewed as a huge mistake, and the biggest one in the Ratcliffe era.
Why can’t Ratcliffe sack Amorim
During his tenure at Old Trafford, Amorim has a win rate of 27.3% in the Premier League. To put that into context, Graham Potter has just been sacked by West Ham United with a win rate of 26%.
The former Sporting boss is far past the point of deserving the sack, but he is being saved by the prior mistakes made in the INEOS era.
If Ratcliffe sacks Amorim now, he is admitting that he has made a huge error of judgment and effectively wasted a whole year as well as millions of pounds.
Football Insider revealed that it would cost Man United £12m to dismiss Amorim, due to his compensation fee, but it would cost Ratcliffe far more in terms of his reputation.