INEOS are not the most popular among the fanbase for their divisive policies off the pitch while their on-field decisions have played a huge part in harming Manchester United’s future prospects.
They opted to hand Erik ten Hag a new contract and back him in the transfer market only to sack him a couple of months later and bring in Ruben Amorim, a coach who plays a polar opposite brand of football.
The head coach is disappointed with the squad at his disposal with the club languishing in 14th position in the Premier League while they have been knocked out of both domestic cup competitions.
The Portuguese has told his close friends he regrets taking over mid-season, especially with the co-owners hardly helping him in January, in fact depleting his resources even further.
Ambitious plans
The Europa League is the club’s only chance at salvation this term but INEOS have already set a target of winning the Premier League by 2028 as part of Project 150, which coincides with the club’s 150th anniversary.
That was what Amorim referenced recently, earning the ire of pundits and fans alike but now, even INEOS have realised the folly of their ways with The Mirror claiming Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co are mulling over ditching their ambitious plans.
Mission 21 seems quite far-fetched at the moment, especially given the club’s PSR woes which means a huge outlay might be beyond them in the summer.
At this rate, it will take the club many years to build up a squad strong enough to challenge for the title, forget winning it.
Plans to be ditched
“Manchester United chiefs may have to ditch their Project 150 dream after realising that it’s going to take Ruben Amorim years to build a team capable of challenging for the Premier League.
“Chief executive Omar Berrada announced on his arrival at the club last summer that co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe had set his sights on taking the title back to Old Trafford by 2028 to celebrate United’s 150th anniversary. But the stark reality of the monumental task facing manager Ruben Amorim has since kicked in.
“There’s now an acceptance inside the United boardroom that the 40-year-old Portuguese is being forced to work, as one insider described it “with his hands tied behind his back”, due to the poor state of the squad he inherited from Erik ten Hag and the perilous financial position of the club.”
A source even told the publication that it will take a lot of patience for United to return to the top and that realisation has just dawned on them.
Lot of Patience needed
“Amorim felt he could get more from the current squad when he came in and there have been some encouraging results. But there’s no getting away from the fact that overall it’s been a really tough watch – and that it’s going to take a lot of time and patience to get the team to where they should be.
“You’ve got to be brave or foolish to think winning the league by 2028 is doable from where United currently are.”
Amorim, during the pre-match press conference before the Arsenal game, had said he will not get the time Mikel Arteta has got at Arsenal.
Whether he will remain at the helm to oversee this slow climb remains to be seen. For now, INEOS’ decision to announce ambitious plans and then backtrack just goes to show how shoddily they have gone about their business since taking over minority ownership of the club.
Fans are planning a protest before Sunday’s game against the Glazers and INEOS’ decisions regarding ticket prices. Toxicity has surrounded the club and there seems to be no end to the mess. Fans will just have to survive, just like the first team.
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Ayantan Chowdhury
Ayantan has worked for 10 years in the Indian sports media industry, writing for the biggest newspapers and websites but his heart was always set on writing about his favourite club. Currently an editor at The Peoples Person. You can follow him on X: @ayantanc_25
