Man Utd news: Sir Jim Ratcliffe's controversial remarks slammed and club debt rises

Manchester United’s difficult start to the season has continued, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe coming under the spotlight. Michael Carrick’s team, who sit 12th in the Premier League , are out of action until after the international break, but matters off the pitch have captured attention.

INEOS chief Ratcliffe has attracted scrutiny after making controversial comments about immigration in the UK . In a BBC interview, the 73-year-old said: "Unfortunately, at the moment, I think the UK is on the slide. It's quite difficult to see how we arrest it. I think ultimately, we need politicians who are tough enough to deal with some very difficult problems.”

He added: “Nobody's tough enough to deal with the immigration problem. Nobody's tough enough to deal with the benefits problem. But somebody needs to do it, otherwise, it ends in a bad place."

These remarks have put Ratcliffe at odds with his favourite player Eric Cantona, whose famous "seagulls follow the trawler" quote inspired the name of Ratcliffe's Trawlers Ltd holding company when he bought his stake in United. Meanwhile, the club have published their latest set of accounts , which show debt levels have increased. Here, Mirror Football takes a look at some of the biggest stories surrounding United.

Cantona has slammed Ratcliffe’s comments and claimed he would not have joined United if the INEOS boss had been at Old Trafford during his playing days. The 60-year-old inspired Sir Alex Ferguson's team to four league titles in five years before retiring in 1997. However, when asked if he would sign for the club under Ratcliffe, Cantona responded: “No.”

Speaking to United fan Peter Boyle , Cantona said: "Of course not [he wouldn't have signed]. You know what I think about all of this, with this kind of politics. And I cannot understand that someone like this can say something like this when he's one of the owners of the club."

He continued: "Football is a very popular sport. Football is made - all the greatest players come from different waves of immigration. Everywhere, in France, in England, everywhere.

"In France for instance, the greatest players in France, they all come from different waves of immigration. I made a documentary on that, French Football: An Immigrant History. Raymond Kopa, in the fifties, was the son of Polish immigrants who came to France, worked in France, and worked hard in France.

"And then the Italians, Italians like Platini. And then Spanish, like me, my mother came from Spanish refugees. I cannot accept this kind of thing."

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United’s accounts for the 2025/26 season showed record revenue figures but also that debt levels continue to rise . The side’s “non-current borrowings” stand at £577.6million, which is up from £471.9m last year.

The club did see record revenue figures of £677.6m, marking a 1.7 per cent increase despite United not competing in European football last term.