Gary Neville questioned Sir Jim Ratcliffe over a costcutting measure
Gary Neville was left aghast by Sir Jim Ratcliffe's suggestion that nobody at Manchester United could come up with a way to save £40,000 for ex-players.
Earlier this season, the decision was made by the club to the £40,000 charity payment to United's Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP). The cutback stopped its payment to the trust, who support players from the pre-Premier League era and help them host events for ex-professionals at United.
It was said the charity were not informed before the payments stopped, and Neville has taken United co-owner Ratcliffe to task over the cost-cutting decision. The INEOS chief was left scrambling for an answer as he was pushed by the ex-United captain.
"Obviously £15m was spent to remove Erik [ten Hag] and Dan [Ashworth] which are expensive errors. £40,000 was taken away from the former players association," started Neville. "That's not the players that played under Sir Alex Ferguson or the last 10 years, they're players from the 1960s and '70s.
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"I just look at that and think it's £40,000 from players who are giving a lot back to the local community, big supporters of United. Why not look at that £40,000 and put Harry Maguire and Bruno in a dinner. Sell 1,000 tickets for 30, 40, 50 quid, raise the money through a dinner, maybe do a raffle, an auction, give the ex-players their money and do it in a way where it's not looked at as a cruel decision, which it is.
"Why would that not be looked at as a shopping list of things, that's got health warnings to it? They're former players, people who do a lot of good. Why would that decision be made?"
"Well nobody suggested that, I would have supported that," Ratcliffe started before Neville interjected: "Well Jim, that alarms me, because if people aren't suggesting that to you at the club..."
Gary Neville asked Sir Jim Ratcliffe's about Manchester United's cost-cutting
"The people at the club, you know most of the people at the club, they're not cruel are heartless people but I think," offered the United shareholder.
"It's 40 grand," Neville quickly highlighted. Ratcliffe could scarcely get out the words: "Yeah, I know," before the Class of 92 star continued.
"Harry and Bruno can just turn up for a dinner raise 60, 70, 100 grand for them. Why didn't the current players put a grand in each for them?
"If it came to me and I was looking at a decision like that and these guys who have put so much time into the club, why can't we reinstate that?"
"Maybe we can, I don't know," stumbled Ratcliffe. "I can have a look at it. I'm not aware of that level of detail to be honest."
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