New Delhi: This has been a season to forget for Manchester United following an abysmal Premier League campaign that has set them on course for their worst ever finish to a league campaign. The club have struggled for consistency this season and there has been very little for the club to be joyous about in this campaign. Things seemed hopeful for the club once Erik Ten Hag was replaced by Ruben Amorim midway through the season but it didn’t turn out that way.
Looking back to the end of last season, there was an air of positivity around the club with the Red Devils beating their noisy neighbours to lift the 13th FA Cup in their history. That led to the new minority owners, INEOS, injecting in a lot of money to help build a competitive squad for the future by bringing in young players like Joshua Zirkzee, Manuel Ugarte, Leny Yoro, and Matthijs de Ligt but that positivity seems to have evaporated as the season progressed.
Manchester United’s financial troubles
The club have been inconsistent in their performances all season but the buck doesn’t stop there for the Red Devils. Their troubles aren’t just limited to the pitch as the club’s financial health continues to raise concerns as losses pile up. The latest financial report revealed a 12% drop in revenues for the final quarter of 2024, with broadcast income plummeting by 42% due to their Europa League participation instead of the Champions League.
Adding to the woes, the cost of sacking Erik ten Hag and his staff, along with sporting director Dan Ashworth, amounted to £14.5 million, further eating into United’s profits. The sacking of Ten Hag seemed especially poor in hindsight, not just because of the cost incurred while sacking but also because they spent £200 million in the summer to bring in players suited to the Dutchman.
Despite an increase in commercial revenue thanks to their deal with Snapdragon, the club’s overall debt has risen to £515.7 million due to unfavorable exchange rate changes. The situation becomes even more alarming when considering the long-term impact of the Glazers’ ownership.
The interest payments alone on their leveraged acquisition of United have surpassed £1 billion, with the club’s total debt, including outstanding transfer fees, reaching a staggering £731 million. Financial sustainability has become a pressing issue, and without INEOS providing an £80 million cash injection, United’s cash reserves would have dropped to a perilous £15 million.
🚨 BREAKING:
The interest payments on the Glazers’ acquisition of Manchester United have now exceeded £1 billion, with the club’s overall debt standing at £731 million, in addition to more than £300 million owed in transfer fees.
If INEOS hadn’t provided an £80 million cash… pic.twitter.com/cnBCe2D1kq
— UtdXclusive (@UtdXclusive) February 19, 2025
Ever since INEOS took over, they’ve been trying to balance the books, which led to more than 250 employees being let go by the club and also held them back from strengthening their squad in the January window. The club spent another £11 million to bring in Ruben Amorim from Sporting CP in the middle of the season to oversee a squad that wasn’t suited for the Portuguese manager.
They desperately needed new signings that could help head coach Ruben Amorim implement his style of play and give him players that suit his system but that wasn’t done given their financial restraints. While United made two modest signings in January, bringing in Patrick Dorgu from Lecce and Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, marquee spending was off the table, a clear sign of tightened purse strings.
Meanwhile, the departures of Marcus Rashford, Antony, and Tyrell Malacia on loan suggest an attempt to balance the books. As new head coach Ruben Amorim tries to steady the ship on the pitch, United’s off-field struggles paint an increasingly concerning picture. Despite their status as one of the world’s biggest clubs, the financial burden accumulated under the Glazers continues to haunt them. For United fans, the hope will be that Ratcliffe’s influence can steer the club towards a more stable future.
Manchester United’s on field problems expose financial troubles
The club’s financial troubles could’ve been overlooked if the squad was doing well with their performances on the field but that hasn’t turned out to be the case as well. Manchester United started the season strongly with a win over Fulham in their first league game of the season with new signing Joshua Zirkzee scoring on his debut. However, things went downhill from there as the club went on a to receive some heavy losses.
They faced embarrassing defeats to Brighton, Liverpool, and Arsenal in the league, losing to Spurs thrice all season and find themselves languishing 15th in the table after 25 games. They were outside the top half of the table on Christmas for the first time this season and most of their new signings haven’t worked out. Zirkzee failed to build on his debut goal vs Fulham and has looked lost for most part of the season.
Antony has scored more goals in February than the whole of the Manchester United squad. 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/ntJnZY37j9
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Football__Tweet) February 19, 2025
Leny Yoro suffered an injury in preseason which delayed his debut and since taking the field, he’s hardly looked like a £50 million defender. Both Manuel Ugarte and De Ligt have been inconsistent with their performances with only Noussair Mazraoui proving his worth. The underperformance of summer signings has resulted in the club’s troubles on field and that has only exposed the financial problems, landing the club in even tougher times.
The club even brought in Arsenal’s Head of Medicine Gary O’Driscoll in the summer to help cope up with injuries as United suffered 60+ injuries during the 2023/24 campaign but that hasn’t done any wonders till now as well. United have faced serious problems with injuries with Luke Shaw and Mason Mount facing major problems in recovery and star player Amad Diallo and Lisandro Martinez ruled out for the rest of the season. In a season where nothing as gone right for Manchester United, their financial troubles seem to have caught up with them as well.
Manchester United have been struggling on the field all season and the club’s latest financial results indicate that there might be some problems facing them off the field as well. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
