Man Utd accused of financial mismanagement by their own fans as eye-watering cost of Erik ten Hag & Dan Ashworth exits under INEOS' watch is revealed

According to The Times, recently released figures show the club recorded "a loss of £27.7 million ($35m) for the last three months of 2024", with a year-on-year 42 per cent drop in broadcast revenue as a result of not being in the Champions League. On top of that, the Dan Ashworth debacle — which saw Sir Jim Ratcliffe pay big money to hire the in-demand sporting director before letting him go just five months later — reportedly cost the club £4.1m.

It's not just the Ashworth situation that shows United's poor judgement - they also wasted a whopping £10.4m paying off Erik ten Hag and his staff after the decision was made to fire the former manager while he was still tied down to a long contract. According to the Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST), this is a case of serious financial mismanagement.

The supporters' trust said in a statement: "Today’s financial results lay bare the scale of the financial mismanagement we have seen at Manchester United... United has amongst the highest revenues in world football and yet we see huge financial problems in these results, driven by £19m in debt interest payments (over six months), mismanagement including paying £14.5m compensation to a manager only given a new contract a few months earlier, a disastrous record in player trading over the last decade, and now dreadful performances on the field making matters worse with every league place we fall costing a further £4m in prize money."

The publishing of United's official figures revealed that the club's total debt stands at £731m ($920m) plus more than £300m ($377m) in transfer fees owed. These are worrying numbers, but Ratcliffe is hoping that the severing of a deal made between INEOS and Tottenham Hotspur could help free up some funds at Old Trafford.