Sir Jim Ratcliffe 'emails Manchester United staff about disgraceful untidiness'

4 May 2024, 09:22 | Updated: 4 May 2024, 14:26

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly emailed all Manchester United staff to complain about "untidiness" at the club.

The new owner sent the stern message on Friday after visiting Old Trafford and the Carrington training facilities earlier in the week, according to The Athletic and The Guardian.

The 71-year-old, who is also chairman of chemical company INEOS, is said to have written: "I am afraid I was struck in many places by a high degree of untidiness.

"In particular the IT department which frankly was a disgrace and the dressing rooms of the U18 and U21 were not much better."

He added the standards at the club "would not come close" to what was expected at INEOS - "and we are a chemical company," he quipped.

"Manchester United is an elite sporting organisation," he added, according to The Guardian.

"It's a small thing in many ways but unless an organisation has standards and discipline it will not succeed.

"I would be grateful in future if we adopt the proper standards of housekeeping everywhere," the billionaire reportedly said.

"It reflects poorly on the club if we have visitors, young player parents, new players and the media and they see we don't care enough to keep things shipshape."

Sky News has contacted Manchester United for comment.

Sir Jim, who bought a 27.7% stake in the club for a reported £1.3bn in February, has made no secret of discontentment with infrastructure at the club.

Read more:
Who is Sir Jim? Man United's new billionaire part-owner
The challenges Sir Jim faces and how he plans to address them

He has already committed around £240m to rebuilding it and has estimated refurbishing Old Trafford, the club's home since 1910, could cost as much as £1bn.

The email comes at a frustrating time for Man United on the pitch, as they've won just once in their last seven games in all competitions.

It's brought manager Erik ten Hag's future into question, with the side sitting sixth in the Premier League with four games remaining.

Those who welcomed Sir Jim's buy-in, such as Manchester United great Gary Neville, acknowledged his impact would need to be felt off the pitch as well as on it.

"We must be clear that the football side of things is the most important thing, first-team performance, that needs to be dealt with first and will make everybody feel better about themselves," Neville told Sky Sports.

"[But] he will have to impact the culture of the whole club, and the feeling in the whole club, he will have to touch every point in the club," he added.