Sir Jim Ratcliffe comes under fire from Man United fans as co-owner says his ‘main focus is on the men’s team’ and NOT the women’s

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was again targeted after the Manchester United co-owner admitted that his main focus remains on the men’s team.

Earlier, the controversial British businessman was criticised for a lack of interest in the women’s team since purchasing a 27.7 per cent stake in the club last year, which later rose to 28.94 per cent.

Since then, the Red Devils endured a ruthless leadership and cost-cutting, which saw the departures of legend Six Alex Ferguson, and Erik ten Hag throughout this campaign.

‘My main focus is on the men’s team because that is what moves the needle at Manchester United,’ said Ratcliffe in a recent interview with the BBC Sport.

‘The women’s team is much smaller that the men’s team. Out of our £650million of income, £640m comes from the men’s team, £10m comes from the women’s team.

‘With my business background you tend to focus on the bigger issues before you focus on the smalles issues.’

He admitted that he prefers to focus on bigger issues amid the men’s team struggles in the Premier League

The Red Devils’ co-owner was previously blasted for a lack of interest in the women’s game

Expectedly, his claims have caused enormous criticism towards the Monaco-based businessman, with fans highlighting the women’s team’s success compared to the current Ruben Amorim’s side. 

‘Maybe the women’s team isn’t bringing the same amount of revenue because you refuse to invest in women’s football,’ said one fan.

‘The women’s team is smaller than the men’s yet they play much better football than the men,’ added another.

Another supporter sarcastically said: ‘I’m sure those words are really inspiring to the women’s team,’ while a fan added: ‘Funny that when the women’s team is flying atm and the men are struggling’.

A further fan added: ‘Call the qataris and leave the club mate’.

Although Ratcliffe has said his main focus remains in the men’s team, Ruben Amorim’s band endures a season far from success.

The Portuguese’s side are 14th in the Premier League table and were knocked out of both domestic cups, the FA Cup and Carabao cup, following their defeats to Fulham and Tottenham, respectively.

The only hope for the men’s team remains the Europa League, where the Red Devils are set to face Real Sociedad in the second leg of the round of 16 at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Marc Skinner’s side sit in second place in the Women’s Super League table and have qualified to the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester City 

Meanwhile, the Red Devils men’s team sit in 14th place in the Premier League and are out of both domestic cups

The teams’ first clash concluded with a 1-1 draw when Mikel Oyarzabal cancelled out Joshua Zirkzee’s opener in the second half with a penalty shot.

Although he had little to say in general, Ratcliffe admitted the women’s team are far more successful than the men’s throughout the past seasons.

‘But the women’s team wear the Manchester united brand and the Manchester United logo, so in that sense they’re every bit as important as the men’s team and frankly they’re doing better that the men’s team,’ added Ratcliffe.

‘I think they’re second in the league, they won the FA Cup last year, Marc Skinner is doing a great job as the coach and the new captain Maya [Le Tissier] is doing a great job.’

Skinner’s side sit in second place in the Women’s Super League with 36 points after 15 games. They are eight points behind confident leaders Chelsea but have one game in hand.

The Red Devils women’s team continue their path to FA Cup triumph as they beat Sunderland 3-1 in the quarter-final on Saturday. In the semi-finals, they are set to face rivals Manchester City in mid-April.