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MANCHESTER UNITED LEGEND ERIC CANTONA ACCUSES SIR JIM RATCLIFFE OF ‘DESTROYING’ CLUB DIRECTION

Man Utd legend Eric Cantona reveals he offered to return to the club but was snubbed by Jim Ratcliffe. The icon launched a scathing attack, accusing the new owners of destroying the club's soul and showing a lack of respect.

Manchester United legend Eric Cantona accuses Sir Jim Ratcliffe of ‘destroying’ club direction
Sir Jim Ratcliffe - Photo Creator: Jean-Marc PONTE

Eric Cantona, a legend of Manchester United, has once again attacked the club's owners harshly.

Due in great part to the club's management, the beloved Frenchman has steadily lost interest in the squad with whom he won four Premier League titles.

The unspoken provision that might expel Jim Ratcliffe from Manchester United and send the Red Devils "back to square one"

Cantona, a longtime Glazers critic, recently became enraged with Jim Ratcliffe and is not letting up.

After acquiring a 27% share in the team in February 2024, Ratcliffe was placed in charge of football affairs. Cantona and many others criticised his cost-cutting tactics.

The well-known No. 7 has now disclosed that he even offered the millionaire from Monaco his services, but he did not receive the response he was hoping for.

"I have many other loves and ambitions, but I believed that for two or three years I could maybe put those to the side and attempt to contribute something to this club, which has given everything to me," he stated in reference to United in an interview with Eric the King Cantona.

However, [Ratcliffe] showed no interest. I no longer feel bad since I did what I had to do. I did my best.

"The new owners ought to have adopted the brilliant attacking football style that Sir Alex Ferguson established. Rather, they destroyed it.

Cantona's tumultuous association with Man United


Many consider Cantona, who was infamously acquired by Ferguson from Leeds in 1992, to be the final component needed to complete one of football's greatest dynasties.

In 2023, he would assist the Red Devils in winning their first league championship since the 1960s, and he contributed to three more of Ferguson's 13 victories during his reign of supremacy.

After resigning in 2013, the Scot continued to play for the team until February 2025, when Ratcliffe and Co. fired him.

"Sir Alex Ferguson should be able to do anything he wants at the club till the day he dies," Cantona responded on Instagram at the time.

"What disrespectful behaviour. The whole thing is scandalous. My employer will always be Sir Alex Ferguson!

"And in a big bag of s***, I throw them all!"

He would go on to say that because of the club's icy decision-making, he no longer felt "connected."

"I support United because I genuinely adore United, but I do not think I would choose United if I were a fan and had to pick a team," he said.

"I do not feel comfortable making decisions like this. They are working on another project and another strategy. Does this project feel like a part of me? Not in my opinion.

Respecting people like you [the fans], your manager, and your teammates is crucial, in my opinion.

The exact opposite, in my opinion, has occurred since Ratcliffe's arrival. This group of directors tries to ruin everything and shows no regard for anyone. Even changing the stadium is something they want to do.

"Unfortunately, the vibe in the stadium is different," he continued.

"I thought it was quiet when I went to Old Trafford for the Manchester City game last season.

"Instead of being surrounded by people who travel from all over the world merely to visit the product store, United supporters would rather attend away games and be among other true fans."

EX-CAPTAIN NEVILLE CLAIMS SUBSTITUTIONS MADE MANCHESTER UNITED "WORSE" AGAINST WOLVES

Gary Neville slams Ruben Amorim’s "weird" substitutions and tactical shifts after Manchester United's 1-1 draw with bottom-side Wolves.

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Was the halftime substitution a tactical error or an injury?

Gary Neville said that the performance of Manchester United in their match against winless Wolves was ‘the baddest of the bad.’

United would have moved fourth in the league with a win at Old Trafford last night, although Wolves, who had two points in 18 games before kickoff, ended their record of 11 straight losses with a 1-1 draw.

Amorim’s team had been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by a League Two team, Grimsby, in August, but Neville was convinced that United had hit rock bottom in a game that could have been even more one-sided were it not for two important saves by Senne Lammens.

“That was the baddest of the bad," the former United captain declared on the Gary Neville podcast.

“They weren’t just booed off at the final whistle. The fans waited in the stadium to continue to boo them. They’ve gone backwards.”

United had won at Newcastle 1-0 on Boxing Day, despite being plagued by an injury list that already lacked skipper Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire, and Matthijs de Ligt, as well as three players on African Cup of Nations duty.

But they remained flat right from the first whistle, and the header by Ladislav Krejci just before the half bottled Joshua Zirkzee's deflected shot.

Amorim’s formation choice of 3-4-3 was brought into focus once more as the Portuguese opted to go back to his preferred tactic of four at the back against Newcastle.

“This isn’t right. I’ve watched enough of United over the last five or six weeks to know what looks right and what isn’t right,” Neville had declared 20 minutes into his commentary on Sky Sports.

“Because, when I see that we go back (to three at the back) after five minutes tonight, I’m thinking, no, Ruben, why have you done that?

"The manager has to look at that and think, I got that wrong. I complicated it."

However, Amorim decided to substitute Zirkzee at halftime and brought on an 18-year-old Jack Fletcher, who made his third appearance at the senior level.

Regarding substitutions made by Amorim, Neville further added, “They made Manchester United worse. Every single substitution was ridiculous.”

‘If Zirkzee was injured, and it was a tactical substitution, that was a very poor one.’ But Zirkzee isn't Eric Cantona, not by a long shot, and he had to get out there for physicality, for presence, for experience.”

SEE LISANDRO MARTINEZ’S FURIOUS REACTION AFTER MAN UTD’S SHOCK WOLVES DRAW

Lisandro Martinez demands more after Man Utd’s 1-1 draw with bottom-placed Wolves. United ended 2025 sixth in the Premier League.

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Martinez slams United’s tactical mistakes

Stand-in captain Lisandro Martinez was mad that Manchester United dropped points against Wolves, who are at the bottom of the league.

United came into the last game of 2025 after a good win against Newcastle on Boxing Day and were expected to easily beat Wolves.

Joshua Zirkzee scored first for United, but they didn't take their chances. Ladislav Krejci's header tied the game for Wolves, 1-1.

It was only their third point in 19 games, and it stopped their 11-game losing streak. United fans booed at the end of the game.

When Martinez was asked if it felt like a disappointing point, he said, 100 percent.

We are very disappointed. We can't keep drawing or losing points at home. We have to win.

We want to be at the top, competing with the best.

We can't drop points in games like this. We just have to accept it and be hungry for the next game.

Martinez was captain again because Bruno Fernandes is still recovering from an injury.

When United coach Ruben Amorim was asked about injured players for the game against Leeds on Sunday, he didn't give much away. Leeds are really wanting to beat United for the first time since 2010.

Martinez said to MUTV, You can either make excuses, or you can be strong and say, 'We're dropping points, so we need to go for the next one and show what we can do.'

We need to work together and do the easy things to get the three points.

United is in sixth place in the league at the end of 2025, only two points behind Liverpool for the last Champions League spot. Liverpool has a game in hand.

They could be in a better position if they had been better in both boxes. Leeds has been playing well lately, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin doing great up front.

Martinez added, It's about us. I don't like to think about other teams.

I'm thinking about what we can do to get better as a team every day, and we have to learn from this game.

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