Sir Jim Ratcliffe has named names as he analyses what could be Man United's worst league season in 51 years.
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Sport
18:14, 10 Mar 2025
United players line up
United players line up
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has dismissively described Casemiro, Andre Onana, Rasmus Hojlund, Antony and Jadon Sancho as "inherited" signings and that some of them are "overpaid".
Ineos chairman Ratcliffe secured a minority stake in United just over a year ago but the club is 14th in the Premier League and facing their lowest finish since they were relegated in 1974.
United have gone out of both domestic cup competitions but could salvage their season by winning the Europa League, with their round-of-16 second leg against Real Sociedad on Thursday and the tie deadlocked at 1-1.
Casemiro and Antony arrived at United within a week of each other towards the end of the 2022 summer transfer window. United paid Real Madrid £60million, rising to £70m, for Casemiro and made him their highest earner on more than £300,000-a-week. Antony joined from Ajax for a fee rising to £86.3m and his salary was quintupled to around £200,000-a-week.
Onana and Hojlund joined the following year for £47.2m and £64m rising to £72m respectively. Sancho cost £72.9m in 2021.
Sancho has played once for United since August 2023 and moved to Chelsea on a season-long loan in August last year. Chelsea have an obligation to buy him for between £20m and £25m. Antony left for Real Betis on loan in January.
Hojlund has not scored in 20 games and has managed only seven goals this season. Onana has made several high-profile errors while Casemiro's form has nosedived over the last 18 months.
"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 told the BBC. "These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out.
"For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we're paying £17m to buy him in the summer.
"Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mould 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.
"There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno (Fernandes), he's a fantastic footballer."