“They can’t really come to a match, the Glazers. They’ve retreated into the shadows a bit now, so I’m getting all the stick.
“We bought in and I haven’t seen them since. It’s, ‘thank you, Jim, you’re doing a really good job’.
“At the moment, I don’t have security, I don’t have to walk around like that. But it would defeat the object, wouldn’t it? You couldn’t tolerate it at that level, it just wouldn’t be fun.”
When Ratcliffe and Ineos joined the Old Trafford hierarchy, many fans welcomed the arrival of a boyhood fan and billionaire to help restore the club’s former glories.
However, a year on, the relationship with some supporters has soured.
Several moves taken by the club which have attracted criticism, with cost-cutting measures including the removal of free lunches for staff, culminating in a protest against United’s ownership by fans last weekend.
Banners saying “we want our club back” and “£1bn stolen”, referring to the amount spent on servicing the debt loaded on to United when the Glazer family bought the club in 2005, were on display at the protest.
United’s current total debt, including £300m in outstanding transfer fees, is in excess of £1bn. In the last financial year they paid £37m in interest on the debt.
