Sir Jim Ratcliffe produces incredible U-turn on “fabulous” Manchester United star after bizarre criticism

Sir Jim Ratcliffe issued praise for one “fabulous” Manchester United star who he previously sent some bizarre criticism towards.

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe took charge at Old Trafford over one year ago after completing a minority investment into the club.

Since then, major changes have been made and many of them have been unpopular, leading to the fan-view of Ratcliffe and INEOS being heavily scrutinised.

Decisions such as staff redundancies and sacking Sir Alex Ferguson from his ambassadorial role have been criticised by fans and media, for example.

Things on the pitch haven’t been much better, with head coach Ruben Amorim struggling to turn things around with a squad sitting 14th in the Premier League table.

United are in desperate need of improvements in the squad even if they do have some players who deserve to be part of the club.

Ratcliffe praises “fabulous” Fernandes

Ratcliffe conducted an interview this week where he did not hold back on criticism of some of the current players within the United squad.

“Some [players] are not good enough and some probably are overpaid,” the British billionaire told the BBC.

“But for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time.”

However, the United co-owner also did make time to issue praise for the club captain Bruno Fernandes, who has been trying to hold together a weak squad this season.

“There are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno, he’s a fantastic footballer.”

Fernandes has 12 goals and 13 assists so far this season. Ratcliffe and the United board rewarded him with a new contract in the summer which lasts until June 2027.

Ratcliffe’s U-turn on Fernandes after 2023 criticism

Ratcliffe’s praise of Fernandes is no surprise on surface level considering the impact the Portuguese midfielder is having in a terrible environment.

However, it also displays an incredible U-turn from the United co-owner who once sent some bizarre criticism towards the 30-year-old before he took charge at the club.

In the opening page of his 2023 book Introducing Grit, Rigour & Humour: The Ineos Story, Ratcliffe reminisced about a trip to the Cook Islands, where he watched a local rugby match.

He was struck by the sheer physicality of the game, describing how the ground seemed to shake with every bone-crunching tackle—one of which even resulted in a player breaking his leg.

Afterwards, Ratcliffe took a jab at Fernandes, ridiculing him for “clutching his untouched face” during United’s crushing 7-0 defeat to Liverpool in March 2023.

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Now that the British billionaire is in the building at Old Trafford, it seems like he appreciates the midfielder a lot more than beforehand.

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