Paul Scholes says Manchester United’s new owners have not made one positive change since taking over and branded the decision to raise matchday ticket prices as ‘ridiculous’.
The Premier League giants were accused of exploiting fans after taking the decision mid-season to raise the price of matchday tickets to £66 per game, with no concessions for children or pensioners.
United fan group 1958 described the move as ‘clear exploitation of our loyal fanbase’ and were involved in protests outside Old Trafford before the game against Everton at the start of December.
Club legend Scholes has also slammed the decision and claimed things have only got worse at Manchester United since the INEOS takeover.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought a 27.7% stake in Manchester United last February, the British billionaire agreeing a deal with the Glazer family worth £1.25bn.
Get personalised updates on Manchester United every day
Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro’s Football Newsletter.
Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you.
United fans hoped for progress on and off the pitch following the takeover but there has been a number of off-field controversies, while the team are just 13th in the Premier League.
The Old Trafford owners gave former manager Erik ten Hag a new contract last summer before sacking him just three months into the new season.
‘The [INEOS Group] have been in charge for nearly a year now and everything is still negative,’ Scholes said on The Overlap with Sky Bet. ‘I can’t think of something positive that they’ve done for the football club.
‘Things are getting worse on the football pitch so couldn’t they have just said that they’d do cheaper tickets – couldn’t they just give us something positive.
‘How can you ask Manchester United fans to pay more money with what’s on the football pitch.
‘£66 for a ticket is ridiculous. If you think of Manchester, there are so many deprived areas and Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself is from Failsworth – which is a deprived area.
‘If you take one kid with you, that’s £120, if you take a family, you’re looking at £300-400 – it’s not right.
More Trending
‘Where do these owners get the front to put ticket prices up? For the value – we’re [Manchester United] probably having our worst ever Premier League season and they’ve got the cheek to put the prices up.
‘There is nothing positive happening with that football club [Manchester United]. The team look bang average. They’re not doing anything for fans.
‘If we’ve got Sir Jim Ratcliffe, compared to all these American owners, who’s been a United fan since growing up in an area in Manchester – he’s still hiking prices up. It just shows that they don’t care.’
While Manchester United are enduring a dismal season, they at least produced a spirited performance to hold arch-rivals Liverpool to a 2-2 draw at Anfield at the weekend.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: ‘So frustrating’ – Joe Cole names the player Chelsea should never have sold
MORE: Theo Walcott reveals Arsenal set-piece ‘worry’ after Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle United
MORE: Cristiano Ronaldo tells Al-Nassr to sign £70m Manchester United star
