Manchester United Legend Cantona Accuses Ratcliffe of Attempting To ‘Destroy Everything’

‎Former Manchester United star Eric Cantona has criticized co-owner Jim Ratcliffe and his team for undermining the club at Old Trafford.

‎The British billionaire has faced a challenging period since taking control of United’s football operations after acquiring a minority stake in February 2024.

‎The INEOS owner has sacked manager Erik ten Hag and replaced him with Ruben Amorim, with little improvement in a team languishing in 13th place in the Premier League.

‎Ratcliffe, a boyhood United fan, has also raised ticket prices and made drastic cost cuts, resulting in around 450 job losses, while launching a plan to build a new 100,000-capacity stadium.

‎A United legend who played a key role in helping the club end its long wait for the English title in 1993, Cantona is dissatisfied with Ratcliffe’s influence on his former team.

‎”Since Ratcliffe arrived, this team of directors try to destroy everything, and they don’t respect anybody,” Cantona told reporters during an event at FC United, the non-league team started by fans in 2005 as a response to the controversial takeover by the Glazer family, who remain the majority shareholders.

‎”They even want to change the stadium. The soul of the team and the club is not in the players. All the people around are like a big family. It’s very important to respect these people like you respect your manager and teammates.

‎”Since Ratcliffe arrived, it’s the complete opposite. He doesn’t want Sir Alex Ferguson as an ambassador anymore. He is more than a legend, and I think we have to find this soul again.”

‎’Lost their soul’

‎Former France striker, Cantona, who has become a co-owner of FC United, spent five years at Manchester United after Alex Ferguson brought him in from Leeds. During his time there, he won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups.

‎The 58-year-old believes leaving Old Trafford would be a big mistake because the soul of the club has been tied to their home since 1910.

‎”This team of directors, they try to destroy everything. They don’t respect anybody. They even want to change the stadium. The stadium is iconic,” he said.

‎”For me, Arsenal lost their soul when they left Highbury, and I’m sure a lot of fans miss Highbury. I don’t think United can play in another stadium than Old Trafford.”

‎Cantona, who now works as an actor, revealed he offered to help Ratcliffe rebuild a club that hasn’t won the Premier League since Alex Ferguson’s final season in charge in 2013.

‎”Until the end of October this year, I will shoot movies,” he said. “But I said to them, ‘I can put that aside and concentrate and help you to rebuild something. And they don’t care.

‎”I feel sad to see United in this kind of situation. They decided something else. They have another strategy, another project.

‎”I support United because I really love United, but now if I was a fan and I had to choose a club, I don’t think I would choose United. Because I don’t feel close to these kinds of decisions.

‎”I think maybe we are dreamers and the owners are more like an economy and a strategy. I hate this kind of thing. I hate this kind of decision.”