Lineker Calls Ratcliffe an “Unpleasant Human Being” as Man Utd Chaos Deepens

Gary Lineker has launched a scathing attack on Sir Jim Ratcliffe, branding the INEOS chief an "unpleasant human being" and accusing him of turning Manchester United into a "shambles" since taking charge of football operations.

Speaking on The Rest is Football podcast, the former England striker didn't hold back. "I look at Man United and I see problems coming down from the top," he said, before taking a sarcastic dig at the club's American owners. "I must congratulate the Glazers on finding someone even worse than them that they can blame and getting him in there and getting all the stick: Jim Ratcliffe. I don't think he's a particularly pleasant human being and it's a bit of a shambles of a football club the way it's being run at the moment. So, well done to the Glazers on that one, deflecting everything away from them!"

Ratcliffe took a minority stake in United and assumed control of football operations back in February 2024, and things looked promising at first. But that early optimism has faded fast, thanks to a string of unpopular off-field decisions and poor results on the pitch. Fans have grown angry over mass staff layoffs, rising ticket prices, and season-ticket holders being shifted to make room for more hospitality seating. Recent comments Ratcliffe made about immigration have also sparked fresh anger, with several fan groups now calling for him to step down, pushing his big plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium well down the agenda.

Tensions boiled over during September's Manchester derby loss, when fans staged protests directly aimed at the club's owners.

Lineker also pointed to the state of the club more broadly, criticising crumbling infrastructure and a lack of real progress. "It is a bit of a mess, that club. You've got a ground that's falling apart, all sorts of complaints about various things," he said. "The results, the inconsistency seems to be back. They have backed the manager many times and it's not worked for them but there's got to be something dripping down from the top."

The club's managerial merry-go-round tells its own story. Michael Carrick recently became the third permanent boss of the INEOS era, after both Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim were sacked within just 15 months of each other. Carrick had steadied things enough as interim boss to secure Champions League qualification before landing the job full-time this summer, but a underwhelming transfer window followed, with the club missing out on top targets Elliot Anderson and Matheus Fernandes.

Even the academy is feeling the strain. Highly rated young prospect JJ Gabriel has reportedly asked to leave, with his family said to believe United have fallen too far behind rivals like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester City. Lineker flagged this as part of a worrying pattern. "They're losing young teenagers, it looks like that is going to happen," he said.

United go into the international break sitting 12th in the Premier League, having managed just five points from their first five games. Carrick now faces a tough task turning things around once club football resumes, all while the mood around Old Trafford grows increasingly hostile.

Ratcliffe warned back in March that he'd walk away if he faced the same level of abuse as the Glazers. With results stalling, infrastructure problems mounting, and fan protests growing louder, he may now be nearing a real turning point in his time at the club.