Gary Neville criticises Man Utd’s ‘truly awful’ timing of Sir Jim Ratcliffe deal
Gary Neville questioned Manchester United’s timing in announcing Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25 per cent acquisition on Christmas Eve (Mike Egerton/PA)
Gary Neville has described Manchester United’s year a “disgrace to the end” after Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s acquisition of a 25 per cent stake in the club was announced on Christmas Eve.
Neville wished Ineos Group chairman Ratcliffe, 71, a childhood United fan who was born in nearby Failsworth, “all the very best” in attempting to return the club to former glories.
But former United captain Neville questioned the timing of the announcement, which came at 4pm on Christmas Eve, writing on X: “Manchester United 2023 has been a disgrace to the end.
Ineos chairman Sir Jim Ratcliffe has agreed to take a 25 per cent stake in Manchester United (Martin Rickett/PA)
“The timing of this is truly awful and no functioning organisation would even think about it.
“Anyway all the very best to Jim Ratcliffe and I hope he can somehow work out a way to get the club right again and back to being something respectable on and off the pitch.”
Ratcliffe’s purchase of a 25 per cent stake comes after the club’s United States-based owners, the Glazer family, revealed their intention to undertake a strategic review of their options, including the possibility of selling up.
United have suffered a poor season so far, losing more matches before Christmas than in any season since 1930 and have not scored for four games – their worst run for 30 years.
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