As United announced a loss of £27.7m for the second quarter of the financial year, and the last three months of 2024, exceptional items came to £14.5m; more than half of that loss, as even those with a rudimentary grasp of maths may work out.
With a fine sense of timing, United’s second quarter results emerged a few hours after an interview with Raphael Varane was published in which the defender said he was surprised Ten Hag was given a new contract after winning the FA Cup.
But the Manchester United Supporters Trust made the reasonable point that “big increases in ticket prices would be futile and counterproductive”, saying: “Fans should not pay the price for a problem that starts with our crippling debt interest payments and is exacerbated by a decade or more of mismanagement.”.
United’s only routes back into Europe would involve winning the FA Cup or the Europa League – the latter would bring a return to the Champions League.
Given how dismal results have been in a season shaped by the managerial choices of the Ratcliffe regime – first in keeping Ten Hag, then in opting for Amorim as his replacement – what can look bad decisions have both a footballing and a financial penalty.
