It’s an open secret that Manchester United’s precarious financial situation means some tough decisions lie up ahead for everyone at the club.
The staff at the club have already borne the brunt of it, either through job cuts or bonus cuts, while people on the fringes at the club haven’t been spared either.
Ex-player charities have had their money cut, MU Foundation benefits have been cut, and even disabled supporters haven’t been left alone.
It has all contributed to a feeling of apathy and frustration among the fans, especially directed at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who looks determined to set the bottom line straight at the cost of morale.
Among all these cuts, Man Utd fans have had a single wish they want to see from Ineos, and that is for this ruthlessness to extend to the people responsible for putting the club in this position.
Man Utd fans getting their wish
Every time a few thousand or a million pounds are saved from a minor cut, it is impossible not to look at the current wage structure at Old Trafford.
Cutting £1 million from the MU Foundation effectively pays for about three weeks of Marcus Rashford, and that’s a player who hasn’t played in more than three weeks!
Therefore, the fans have had only one wish and that is for the players to be treated ruthlessly by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the form of sales/exits.
The fans look to be getting their wish in this January window with Rashford in talks with clubs, Juventus’ interest in Joshua Zirkzee becoming concrete, Casemiro close to Saudi Arabia, and more.
However, the ruthlessness seems to have extended to Kobbie Mainoo. It was reported recently that the club will listen to offers for Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho due to their financial situation.
And just like that, United fans got their wish in the worst possible manner.
Kobbie Mainoo’s sale will erode any remaining goodwill
It’s not like Ineos has much remaining goodwill with the fans due to their contentious decisions but Mainoo’s sale could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
The midfielder is the kind of player teams are built around and his status as an academy product makes him the ideal flag bearer of the club, especially if/when Rashford exits.
United being open to Garnacho’s sale is also surprising but at least understandable to an extent, with the player not having a clear role in Ruben Amorim’s system.
Mainoo’s sale makes no sense and even the rumours only serve to unsettle a dressing room that is far from a picture of serene confidence anyway.
Ultimately, there’s no smoke without fire so they are definitely not baseless rumours. United fans will hope that it doesn’t go beyond the rumour stage.
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