Forgotten Man Utd Women at rock bottom after Jim Ratcliffe’s budget cuts with INEOS projects ALL failing

FOR Manchester United, the concerns just keep mounting. While Michael Carrick’s men have been taking the headlines following their Carabao Cup capitulation against Brighton, Eva Olid’s women find themselves in a more vulnerable position. Man Utd men are struggling in the Premier League and have just been knocked out of the Carabao Cup Credit: Alamy The women’s team sit bottom of the WSL table after two games Credit: Alamy Two games played, seven goals conceded, one scored, bottom of the table – that is the reality. And to make matters worse, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, co-owner and head of football operations, does not seem to care in the slightest. Sign up for the Man United newsletter Thank you! Then again, his entire INEOS sporting empire seems to be struggling. Ratcliffe made it clear that the women’s team was near enough at the bottom of his priority list the moment he walked through the door two years ago. From snubbing two consecutive FA Cup finals at Wembley to claiming he was focused on “first team” issues, there seems to be a lack of attention for a significant part of the club. A lack of attention and a lack of investment. United’s squad depth came into question last season, particularly in the second half when they were juggling the demands of the WSL with a busy Champions League schedule. Results across the board suffered as a consequence, prompting former boss Marc Skinner to repeatedly voice his concerns about the level of investment being put into the women’s team. Most read in Sport CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS A number of Jim Ratcliffe’s sporting projects are struggling Credit: Reuters Casey Stoney, his predecessor, who oversaw the club’s promotion to the WSL in 2019, also complained about a similar problem. Skinner drew the line this summer and called time on his five-year spell with United after butting heads with club officials over the lack of spending. The Red Devils are now taking a new direction towards academy-led investment – which could see them fall even further behind their main rivals. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City were already above United in terms of success and spending. And with London City Lionesses and Tottenham now significantly strengthening, they are in serious danger of dropping even further down the table. Man Utd currently sit rock bottom of the WSL table after fixtures against London City and Chelsea, leaving new head coach Olid with a huge job to do. Ahead of the club’s trip to Arsenal on Saturday, the 41-year-old claimed it is “normal” to expect criticism. She said: “That is part of the job. I don’t think it affects me. It is constructive criticism and that is normal. I understand that. “The first two performances have not been good. We are the first to say we are not happy. The other part is the part I don’t understand – people wanting to hurt [us], but they are not going to. Marc Skinner quit his job as United head coach last month Credit: PA New boss Eva Olid has now been given a huge job to do Credit: Getty “People that understand football know that the beginning and how you start does not define how you end the season. We know the direction and what we are doing will give us success in the long term. “So yeah, I’m good. The only thing that is important for me is the players. I’m always worried that they need to feel good and strong, nothing else.” Following their clash with Arsenal, United face West Ham, Liverpool and Charlton in the league between Subway Players Cup meetings with WSL2 sides Sheffield United and Durham. If they cannot turn things around soon, the Red Devils face a worrying future. United are not the only INEOS-owned team struggling currently. OGC Nice sit rock bottom of the Ligue 1 table with just two points from their opening four games. Of those fixtures, they have lost against Paris FC and Auxerre. They next face table-toppers Lille on Sunday followed by games against Strasbourg and Lyon. FC Lausanne-Sport, another of Ratcliffe’s football teams, also find themselves struggling. They sit bottom of the Swiss Super League with six points from eight matches. Of those games, they have only managed one win, along with three draws and four defeats. In the world of sailing, Ratcliffe became embroiled in some legal business earlier this year when he threatened action to force Sir Ben Ainslie to give back the £180million boat they built together. The billionaire businessman funded Ainslie’s team for two America’s Cup cycles. OGC Nice are struggling in Ligue 1 Credit: AFP Ratcliffe’s cycling team is also under pressure Credit: PA They fell short of the victory on both occasions – first in Auckland in 2021 then in Barcelona two years ago. The pair are now battling it out for who gets to keep the mega-money boat after falling out. The 38th America’s Cup will take place in Naples next year and Team GB Olympic hero Ainslie is involved in a new British outfit under the GB1 brand. But Ratcliffe claims the vessel cannot be used without his permission – and must be returned. And the 73-year-old’s fortunes do not get much better when it comes to cycling. Ever since Ratcliffe took over and renamed the once-formidable Team Sky cycling team, they’ve been in freefall. After winning seven out of eight Tours de France as Sky, they’ve not won one since 2019. Oscar Onley’s sixth-place finish at the Vuelta a Espana this month has papered over a few cracks, but for a team that boasted some of cycling’s big hitters on their payroll, it’s a very poor return on investment. Comment now