Manchester United Women has been struggling with Sir Jim Ratcliffe entering the club, but the Red Devils issued a new response. The suggestions regarding the issue have piled up since Sir Jim Ratcliffe joined the fray. The British billionaire purchased a minority share of the Red Devils back in February. Despite holding just a 27% stake in the club, Ratcliffe has significant control at the helm.
Issues in the women’s setup began when the club’s annual end-of-season party did not happen. Not only was the news disappointing, but club officials did not even bother telling the team. Instead, the women’s players found out about the cancellation via social media.
Ratcliffe then came under fire for suggesting that plans regarding the women’s team were to be determined back in June. “We haven’t gone into that level of detail with the women’s football team yet,” Ratcliffe stated in an interview with Bloomberg. “We’ve been pretty much focused on how do we resolve the first team issues, in that environment, and that’s been pretty full time for the first six months.”
United officials also recently decided to move their women’s team into portable buildings for the 2024/25 season. Women’s players typically use a $12 million state-of-the-art training facility. Nevertheless, the senior men’s team will move into the structure instead while their buildings go under renovation.
Despite these concerns, a prominent team official is claiming that the women’s team remains a priority for Ratcliffe. “We have heard the concerns and frustrations that some fans have been expressing,” Collette Roche, United’s Chief Operating Officer, told a fans’ forum. “But don’t lose sight of the progress made in just six years since the team was reformed.”
“We have firmly established ourselves as a leading WSL team and won our first major trophy at Wembley in May in our second consecutive FA Cup final. Our Under-21 and Under-16 women’s academy teams also won trophies last season, reflecting the strong focus we are putting on youth development.”
“Headlines claiming a lack of commitment could not be further from the truth. We are fully committed to building a strong position in the women’s game for the long term.”
Much like the men’s team, the women’s side collected silverware during the 2023/24 season despite having a disappointing league campaign. The women ultimately finished fifth in the Women’s Super League standings, their lowest-ever place in a final table.
Roche’s comments come as reports suggest further turmoil at the club. According to sources at Mail Sport, the situation with United’s women’s team remains a “mess.” The news outlet reports that several agents will advise clients not to join the team at the moment. The Mirror also suggests that multiple current United women’s players feel “disregarded” compared to others at rival clubs.
Along with these issues, United brass has also allowed multiple key players to leave the team this summer. Star goalkeeper Mary Earps recently joined Paris Saint-Germain after an unconvincing pitch from Manchester United. The England international is one of the top players in her position. Former United captain Katie Zelem also did not receive a new contract at the club. As a result, the midfielder departed this summer as a free agent.
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