“I’m planning to stepdown if those conditions remained unmet…We can’t succeed without those things, I’m sorry”: Manchester United’s coach Ruben Amorim says he’s ready to resign if the club’s board failed to grant his request
Richard Keys hasn’t held back while aiming fire at Sir Jim Ratcliffe in his latest rant about the current crisis at Manchester United, claiming he has turned the 20-time English champions into a “laughing stock.”
He also suggested that United head coach Ruben Amorim wants to escape Old Trafford amid a disastrous start to his reign.
Amorim has already lost nine matches since walking away from his dominant Sporting team in November to replace Erik ten Hag.
Eight of them have come in 14 Premier League games, leaving United rotting in 15th with just 29 points from 25 outings, only scoring 28 goals.
The Red Devils’ turmoil has spread off the pitch as Ratcliffe makes unpopular decisions to improve the desperate financial mess he inherited from the Glazer family last February.
Mass redundancies – potentially soon reaching 450 – and ticket price increases to watch one of the worst teams in the club’s history have sparked ill sentiment among supporters.
But Keys has been one of Ratcliffe’s loudest critics in his regular blog posts, the latest of which continued to blast his first year as United co-owner.
“When he turned up to watch his first game, Ratcliffe was afforded a hero’s welcome. I understand why,” Keys wrote.
“Desperate United fans wanted to believe. Initially, they did believe, but it’s all gone horribly wrong, hasn’t it?”
He added: “Not only has Ratcliffe ripped the heart and soul out of the club off the pitch – sacking long-time employees and even Fergie [Sir Alex Ferguson].
“But on it, he’s reduced United to little more than bits and pieces. I’m afraid to say – a laughing stock.
“They’ve got a manager who clearly doesn’t want to be there – a cycling expert in charge of football matters (who should never have been allowed back into pro sport after his time in charge of Team Sky) and an owner flailing about without a clue what to do next – except sack more good people.”
“It’s sad. It really is. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. How many times have I pointed out what happened at both Lausanne and Nice after Ratcliffe took controlling interests in those clubs?”
Ratcliffe will insist that it was never going to be a quick fix.
He has also injected around £250million to service the Glazers’ debts and fund infrastructure, including an ongoing £50m redevelopment of the club’s Carrington training ground.
But United’s continued dismal results on the pitch have only intensified the scrutiny aimed at those off it. Ratcliffe still has plenty to prove.
