Ineos have often been ruthless at Manchester United but Raphael Varane was shocked that they backed out of one decision.
Since taking charge at Manchester United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s reputation has taken a mighty hit as a result of several controversial decisions.
United fans remain furious at the price of tickets rising, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe faced the wrath of supporters when he attended the match against Fulham in January.
Ratcliffe has cut hundreds of jobs at United with another 100 staff members expected to lose their jobs in the near future. It’s all part of the cost-cutting scheme implemented by Ineos.
As necessary as cost-cutting may be, the irony of United continuing to waste millions on reckless decisions has left a bitter taste with fans. One of those reckless decisions came in the summer, when Erik ten Hag remained as manager.
Raphael Varane admits shock at Erik ten Hag U-turn
In the lead up to the FA Cup, reports claimed Erik ten Hag would be sacked regardless of the result.
Raphael Varane ended up starring in United’s FA Cup win, with United beating Manchester City in the Wembley showpiece.
An announcement on Ten Hag’s future was expected shortly after, but Ineos decided to keep Ten Hag after conducting an end-of-season review.
Varane spoke to The Athletic about the decision, and he admits he was shocked by the decision.
“I was surprised he stayed,” Varane said. The World Cup winning defender then offered a shocking eight-word insight into the dressing room: “The connection with the group no longer existed.”
Erik ten Hag decision ended up costing Ineos millions
Varane’s comments confirm what many fans thought at the time – that Ten Hag’s time was up and the dressing room had been lost.
Plenty of fans wanted Ten Hag to stay – after all, supporters were sick and tired of the managerial carousel over the past decade. But supporters don’t have insight into the dressing room, and time has proven that Ineos made the wrong decision.
United paid over £13m to sack Ten Hag – a figure much higher than the money saved through Ratcliffe’s ruthless cuts.
READ MORE: Raphael Varane spotted with two Man United legends who starred under Sir Alex Ferguson
After handing the Dutchman a new contract, Ten Hag was sacked in October following a terrible start to the season. Going off Varane’s comments, it seemed a poor start was inevitable.
Varane liked Ten Hag’s sacking post on social media, which tells you all you need to know about his thoughts on the former United boss.
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