Liverpool legend Graeme Souness is expressing some serious doubts about whether Manchester United’s new leadership, particularly Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox, has the vision to turn things around at Old Trafford.
Souness, who has watched United struggle through the opening months of the season, is questioning whether these “so-called footballing people” have what it takes to bring success back to the Red Devils.
United’s start to the season has been rough. The club decided to stick with Erik ten Hag over the summer, but after managing only three wins in their first nine games, Ten Hag was ultimately sacked on Monday. The decision has fans and analysts alike wondering if this is a sign of a deeper problem within United’s leadership.
INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe promised a fresh approach to running the club, pledging to correct the mistakes of the past decade since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. But, according to Souness, the new management team seems to be repeating old errors, especially by sticking with Ten Hag over the summer and giving him a £200 million budget to spend on new players.
Souness doesn’t see much positive change under the new co-owners. In his view, appointing Ashworth and Wilcox to oversee football operations hasn’t produced the results the fans were hoping for. He expressed his concerns on the Up Front podcast, suggesting that the club is now at its “lowest point in the history of the Premier League” with one of the least impressive squads he can remember.
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Reflecting on United’s summer signings, Souness is skeptical about whether Ashworth and Wilcox really understood the type of players United needed. He doubts that players like Manuel Ugarte, Matthijs de Ligt, and Joshua Zirkzee are the right choices for the club’s needs, hinting that the decision-makers may lack an essential understanding of what Manchester United requires to compete at the top level.
According to Souness, spending £200 million on players who aren’t making a significant impact is a major misstep. He sees it as a worrying sign of misplaced priorities, and he’s suggesting that Ashworth bears some responsibility for those choices. Souness isn’t holding back in his criticism, calling it a disappointing start for the new leadership team.
The task now falls to Ruben Amorim, United’s newly appointed manager from Sporting Lisbon, to get the best out of this squad. But Souness warns that Amorim is walking into a tough situation. Given the team’s performance and the questionable summer signings, turning things around will be a challenge for the Portuguese coach.
Souness isn’t the only one expressing frustration. Former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has also been outspoken, voicing his own disappointment with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s early actions at the club. O’Hara, speaking on talkSPORT, didn’t hold back, calling Ratcliffe a “disgrace” and “joke” for the way things have played out since his arrival.
O’Hara had strong words about Ratcliffe’s promises to shake things up at United. He suggests that Ratcliffe came in with big talk about restoring United to its former glory but hasn’t delivered on those promises. O’Hara’s criticisms reflect a sense of frustration that fans and commentators are feeling about Ratcliffe’s ownership so far.
One issue that O’Hara pointed to was Ratcliffe’s decision to cut 200 jobs and make other budget cuts, including having players bring in their own food. He feels these decisions are inconsistent with Ratcliffe’s status as a billionaire and create a negative atmosphere within the club. To O’Hara, these moves suggest that Ratcliffe may be more focused on penny-pinching than on fostering a strong, united club environment.
Another sore point for O’Hara is Ratcliffe’s apparent reluctance to provide proper resources, even going so far as to cut back on transportation for the club’s Ballon d’Or nominees. For O’Hara, this “penny-pinching” approach doesn’t reflect the actions of someone genuinely committed to revitalizing Manchester United.
O’Hara argues that Ratcliffe’s actions are leaving United in a “massive loserville.” His blunt remarks echo the sentiments of many fans who feel that the club is being mismanaged and that these early missteps could derail their season. There’s a sense that the optimism surrounding Ratcliffe’s takeover has faded, leaving disillusionment in its place.
With United struggling on the field and questions swirling around the club’s leadership, it’s a tense time for supporters. Fans had hoped for positive change under the new ownership, but the results so far have been far from reassuring.
As the season progresses, the pressure will be on Ashworth, Wilcox, and Ratcliffe to show that they truly understand what it takes to rebuild a club with United’s legacy. Both Souness and O’Hara’s comments highlight a growing sense of skepticism around the club’s new leadership direction.
Only time will tell if these changes at United will lead to a turnaround, but with passionate fans and respected commentators watching closely, the scrutiny won’t let up any time soon.
