Sir Jim Ratcliffe slams Premier League issue as Man United contract deadline revealed

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sent a stern warning to the Premier League as their financial rules begin to take headlines more and more.

Ratcliffe, 71, took charge at United earlier this year, and his INEOS team have been making changes behind the scenes since they stepped into Old Trafford.

They are looking to improve Erik ten Hag’s playing squad ahead of next season, but the Reds—like many other Premier League clubs — are walking a financial tightrope.

Everton and Nottingham Forest were on the end of points deductions last term, while Manchester City are being investigated for 115 potential charges over the last decade.

“I think the Premier League needs to be careful it doesn’t get itself into an endless legal wrangle with lots and lots of clubs,” Ratcliffe told Bloomberg. “We’ve got more accountants than we’ve got sporting people at Manchester United.

“The Premier League is probably the most successful sporting league in the world, certainly the most successful football league in the world, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

“You have to be careful if you start interfering too much and bringing too much regulation in and then you finish it with the Manchester City issue, the Nottingham Forest issue, the Everton issue.

“If you are not careful, the Premier League is going to finish up spending more time in court than on what’s best for the league. Don’t ruin that league, for heaven’s sake.”

Meanwhile, Ratcliffe and his team are progressing with their discussions over a new contract for Erik ten Hag, according to The Times.

It was explained that there is hope that a deal could be finalised before they head off on their pre-season tour next month. There is intent from both sides to get a deal agreed quickly.

Ruud van Nistelrooy could be set to rejoin the club as Ten Hag’s new assistant coach. The Dutchman spent five years at Old Trafford as a player and scored 150 goals. 

Make sure to follow UtdDistrict on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok to never miss out on any of our Manchester United content. Our podcast, What the Devil?, is released every Thursday at 6 pm (BST) on the United View YouTube channel.