Manchester United Crisis Deepens as Glazers Unhappy with Ratcliffe's Reign

Manchester United continue to plunge deeper into crisis, but the club's owners, the Glazer family, are remaining on the sidelines with no intention of intervening, according to ESPN. The Americans, who still control roughly 72% of the club's shares, handed over football operations to Sir Jim Ratcliffe in 2024. Since then, however, the Red Devils' fortunes have only worsened, leaving the team perilously close to a Premier League relegation scrap.

The Glazers have owned United since 2005 following a leveraged buyout that loaded around £600 million of debt onto the club. Over the years, substantial funds have gone toward interest payments, debt servicing, and over £1 billion in dividends taken out by the family. Joel Glazer, once heavily involved in day-to-day operations down to approving minor expenses, has not attended a match at Old Trafford since April 2019. He and his brother Avram are currently watching from afar as Ratcliffe tries to steer the club out of turmoil. United's start to the season has been dismal, managing just two wins in 12 matches across all competitions, including a solitary victory in eight Premier League games to sit 16th in the table.

According to an ESPN source present at United's 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, supporters fail to realize just how problematic Ratcliffe's tenure has been. "They were singing about the Glazers, but I'm not sure they realize how badly Jim is doing. He couldn't have designed a worse situation. Standards have dropped across every department. The exact opposite of his promised strategy is playing out," the source said. Ratcliffe took charge of football operations promising a sweeping overhaul, but his spell has been marred by front-office upheaval, questionable managerial decisions, and widespread redundancies. Hundreds of jobs have been cut, with wage and transfer budgets severely restricted.

ESPN reports that the handling of those staff redundancies did not sit well with the Glazers, particularly Joel and Avram. The report also suggests the American owners may be biding their time for a more opportune moment to sell the club. Key factors could include building a new stadium—significantly boosting United's market valuation—as well as the resolution of Manchester City's alleged financial breach hearings. For now, however, there is no indication that the Glazer family plans to take immediate action.