Manchester United managers in the past decade have had the impossible task of trying to succeed under Glazer ownership.
Even after the Ineos takeover was completed by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire only owns a 27% stake in Manchester United.
The Glazer family still remain in majority control of the football club, and fans continue to protest against the Glazers after yet another disappointing campaign under the US family.
Ineos have also received their fair share of criticism as United owners after a string of redundancies and cost-cutting measures were implemented at the club.
Former manager Louis van Gaal has criticised United’s ownership before, and he has not held back when asked about the new structure at Old Trafford.
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images
Louis van Gaal takes new dig at Ineos
Van Gaal has called United a “commercial club” in many interviews before, and he even warned fellow Dutch manager Erik ten Hag about joining the Red Devils.
During his years at Old Trafford, Van Gaal won the FA Cup with United but was sacked a few days later. He has often spoken out about the club’s ownership being more focused on commercial and financial success than on-pitch results.
He echoed those thoughts in a recent interview with Sky Sports, where he criticised the club’s new transfer policy under Ineos.
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“Manchester United is still a commercial club, not a football club”
Former manager Louis van Gaal discusses the current transfer situation at Manchester United 🔴 pic.twitter.com/OtTuKbMJHO
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) June 8, 2025
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“Manchester United is still a commercial club. It’s not a football club,” Louis van Gaal insisted.
“I’ve said that before. It’s always difficult when the manager doesn’t choose the players. It should be because you can then fire the manager if he doesn’t get results.
“But when other people recruit the players, it’s a problem, because it’s the manager who has to train them, so it should always be like that.”
Ineos are fixing Man United’s poor recruitment
Van Gaal appears to be criticising the new transfer policy implemented by Ineos. Jason Wilcox has been promoted to sporting director, and he is tasked with recruitment alongside Christopher Vivell.
Unlike previous years where recruitment has been tailored towards a manager’s style of play, Wilcox has a “game model” that helps to make recruitment decisions.
So far, Ineos were flawless in their summer recruitment, with all seven signings arriving and making a positive impact on the first team.
There has also been more of a focus on signing younger academy players who can be slowly integrated into the first team, such as Sekou Kone and Chido Obi.
READ MORE: Ineos could face £60m nightmare over transfer window break as Man United risk losing top target
United are once again set for a big summer overhaul as Ineos look to clear the club of poor Glazer decisions.
Amorim still has a say on transfer decisions, like Van Gaal suggests he should, so United fans can look forward to more structured and planned out transfer windows.