Eric Cantona hits out at Man Utd’s ‘scandalous’ Sir Alex Ferguson decision
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Eric Cantona has sharply criticized Manchester United's Ineos owners for their choice to end Sir Alex Ferguson's £2 million per year agreement as a club ambassador.
This decision is part of the club's efforts to reduce expenses behind the scenes, led by Ineos owner and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe. He also informed employees during the summer that there would be a reduction of 250 positions across various departments.
United icon Cantona, who was brought on board by Ferguson and played a key role in securing the club's first league title under the Scottish manager in his debut season, expressed his dissatisfaction on social media.
“Sir Alex Ferguson should have the freedom to do whatever he wishes at the club for the rest of his life,” the Frenchman stated on Instagram. “This shows a complete disregard. It’s absolutely outrageous. Sir Alex Ferguson will always be my superior! And I put all those people in one big pile of garbage!”
Ferguson, who is 83 years old, will continue to serve as a non-executive director at Old Trafford. According to The Independent, this decision follows friendly discussions between club officials and the iconic former manager.
Currently, the team is sitting in 14th position after having their worst season ever, finishing eighth in the Premier League last year, even though they invested over £200 million in new players during the offseason.
Since taking over as manager before the 2022-23 season, the struggling Dutch coach Erik ten Hag has spent around £600 million on new signings.
Last month, United announced a loss of £113.2 million for the year that ended on June 30, 2024. However, the club maintained that they are following the Premier League's rules on profitability and sustainability (PSR), which can result in points deductions if violated.
The club is taking steps to achieve better financial stability and has implemented several cost-cutting strategies. In their annual financial report, they indicated that they expect the expenses from layoffs to amount to approximately £10 million.
The combined cost-cutting efforts are projected to save around £40 million to £45 million overall, and the club believes this will positively affect United’s financial performance in 2025 and 2026.
Features contributions from Pennsylvania.
