Manchester United and England legend David Beckham has now weighed in on the controversial reign of Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos at Old Trafford so far.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe became Manchester United co-owner in 2023 after the 72-year-old British billionaire captured a minority stake in the Premier League club.
The Ineos chief secured a 27.7 per cent stake in United back in February 2024, with Ratcliffe injecting an investment of around £1.25bn into the Red Devils.
Ratcliffe’s part-ownership of United has seen his Ineos team take control of football operations at Old Trafford and sweeping decisions have been made at the club.
The United co-owner has brought in changes behind the scenes, including a shake-up of the club hierarchy with the arrival of key figures like CEO Omar Berrada.
However, both Ratcliffe and Ineos have also sparked fierce criticism over their cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford and their unpopular decisions at United.
United axed around 250 staff in a first wave of redundancies in 2024 before a further 200 roles were made redundant back in February under Ratcliffe.
Ratcliffe and Ineos were also met with major backlash in the 2024-25 campaign after United raised the price of matchday tickets amid a turbulent season.
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Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images
David Beckham drops his two cents on Man Utd co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos after the big calls made at Old Trafford
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spoken out about Ineos’ decisions at Old Trafford and the Manchester United co-owner is keen to save costs where possible for the club.
The Ineos chief has also had to see United fall apart on the pitch this season, with the Red Devils currently languishing in 16th place in the Premier League table.
Ratcliffe and Ineos extended Erik ten Hag’s United contract as club manager last summer before the 55-year-old Dutchman was axed by the Red Devils.
Ruben Amorim arrived as United manager in 2024 and took his place in the Old Trafford dugout after Erik ten Hag was sacked from his role at the club.
David Beckham has now admitted that United fans have been left “upset by some of the decisions” that Ineos and Ratcliffe have made since their arrival.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “I know Jim has come in and made some big decisions.
“Maybe people have been upset by that and the fans have been upset by some of the decisions.
“I can only speak of when Jim first came in and I liked the fact that he was a fan. I liked the fact that he came from around Manchester.”
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David Beckham’s position on Man Utd amid Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos’ reign at Old Trafford
Beckham insisted that he has a lot of “love” for the Red Devils and the 50-year-old United legend revealed the ‘hurt’ he has felt seeing what has happened at the club.
“But the decisions made, I prefer to stay out of because there are a lot of people I’ve known for a long time who are not at the club any more and that hurts,” he continued.
“But it’s not a club I own, it’s a club I care about and I love.”
The Red Devils will return to action on Wednesday evening, with United facing Tottenham in the Europa League final at the San Mames Stadium in Bilbao.