Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has candidly described some of the team’s recent acquisitions as “inherited” and opined that they are “overpaid.”
Since acquiring a minority share in the Red Devils just over a year ago, Sir Jim finds himself navigating choppy waters with United languishing at 14th in the Premier League standings, potentially heading towards their poorest finish since the drop to the second tier in 1974. While they’ve been eliminated from domestic cup competitions, they still harbor ambitions in the Europa League, where they have everything to play for in the upcoming round-of-16 second leg against Real Sociedad.
The Ineos boss’s pointed remarks arrive amid the backdrop of financial strains imposed by players like Casemiro and Antony, whose arrivals during the 2022 summer window were marked by hefty price tags and substantial salaries. Casemiro now tops the wage bill at United, pocketing over $388,000 weekly, while Antony’s paycheck saw a significant fivefold boost to about $258,000 per week.
More recent signings Onana and Hojlund command top fees but have struggled to impress, with Onana prone to blunders and Hojlund faltering in front of goal. Jadon Sancho, an earlier high-cost acquisition, has found his minutes limited and is currently shipped out on loan to Chelsea, featuring an obligation-to-buy clause at a slashed rate.
Antony too has temporarily departed to Real Betis in January, according to the Manchester Evening News.
Ratcliffe’s comments echo the growing unease about the club’s transfer dealings and spiraling wage costs. “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 disclosed to the BBC.
(Image: Getty Images)
“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 $22 million to buy him in the summer.
“Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid. But for us to mold 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.”
