TalkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan has put Ineos chief and Sir Jim Ratcliffe on blast over the remarks that he made around the problems facing Manchester United.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became Manchester United co-owner in late 2023 and the 72-year-old British billionaire’s minority stake purchase was later ratified in 2024.
The boyhood United fan’s arrival at Old Trafford has seen his Ineos team take control of football operations and sweeping changes have been made at the club.
Ratcliffe has been ruthless with his cost-cutting measures at the Red Devils, including staff layoffs, axing free meals for employees and ending remote working.
The Ineos chief has attracted major criticism for his decisions and Ratcliffe has become a divisive figure among other key choices that have been made at Old Trafford.
United fans have seen a rise in ticket prices for matchday fixtures in the 2024-25 Premier League season, despite the Red Devils’ erratic form in the campaign.
Red Devils supporters also face an increase in the price of United season tickets for the 2025-26 season and Ineos and Ratcliffe have sparked backlash with the move.
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Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images
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Simon Jordan reacted to what Sir Jim Ratcliffe had to say about Man Utd players amid financial difficulties
Sir Jim Ratcliffe made his feelings clear about the challenges he faces at Old Trafford and the financial problems that Manchester United must deal with going forward.
The Ineos chief spoke with both United legend Gary Neville on The Overlap and with reporter Dan Roan for BBC Sport in sit-down interviews earlier this month.
Simon Jordan insisted that Ratcliffe cannot pin the blame of United’s financial plight on the Red Devils needing to pay for the likes of Jadon Sancho and Antony.
The talkSPORT presenter accused Ratcliffe of not calling out United majority owners the Glazers for their mishandling of the Red Devils since their controversial takeover.
Speaking in his column for The Daily Mail, Jordan said: “I’ve defended many of Sir Jim’s rationalisations.
“No other business bar football would expect Alex Ferguson to be paid an annual £2m in perpetuity, or allow continued bloated staff levels.
“His complaint that United are still paying for Jadon Sancho and Antony was silly. Every club buys players on the drip.
“You can’t have it both ways, it’s less cash 12 months ago or less cash now. That is the nature of paying for assets with payment terms common in any industry.
“He wanted to illustrate that United have been burning cash, but opted to name check bad signings rather than reference the huge slug of cash used to pay interest and dividends!”
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What Simon Jordan thinks of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’ handling of Man Utd
Jordan pulled no punches towards Ratcliffe and Ineos and pointed out that the United co-owner would have been well aware of the Red Devils’ finances.
“Neither was he asked why United spent £180m on players last summer when he was in situ, given he claimed they were in danger of running out of money by the end of November,” he continued.
“Ratcliffe would have known the commercial projections and forecasts for the season, yet still invested in Joshua Zirkzee and others.
“United had big liabilities when Sir Jim came in, but have also added new liabilities on his watch.”
The Red Devils are 13th in the Premier League table and United defeated Leicester City 3-0 in the Premier League at the King Power Stadium on Sunday evening.