Manchester United's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has indicated some of the players at his club are not good enough and indicated there will be a summer clear-out of players after already making deep cuts into off the pitch staff at Old Trafford.

Ratcliffe has nearly 30 percent share of the club, with his INEOS company now running football operations.

So far this season has been a disaster with United 14th in the Premier League, out of the FA Cup and with the Europa League seemingly its only chance of a trophy or qualifying for next season's European competition.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah (R) is challenged by Manchester United's Lisandro Martinez during the English Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United in Liverpool, Britain, Jan. 5, 2025. (Xinhua)

After sacking Erik ten Hag midway through the season, Manchester United appointed former Sporting Lisbon boss Ruben Amorim, but if anything results and displays have got worse under the new boss.

In a wide-ranging interview, Ratcliffe gave Amorim his support, saying he "would" be at Old Trafford next season, but then opened the door for several players to leave.

"Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mold the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time."

"We've got this period of transformation where we move from the past to the future," insisted Ratcliffe, who mentioned several players such as Jadon Sancho, who is currently on loan with Chelsea.

The part-owner also singled out midfielder Casemiro, goalkeeper Andre Onana and striker Rasmus Hojlund, along with Brazilian winger, Antony, who has rediscovered his form since joining Spanish side Betis on loan in January.

"We're buying Antony, we're buying Casemiro, we're buying Onana, we're buying Hojlund, we're buying Sancho. These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out," said Ratcliffe, who explained the club was still paying money for some of those players.

When asked if Antony, Casemiro, Onana and Hojlund were good enough for the club all Ratcliffe replied was "there are some great players in the squad as we know, the captain is a fabulous footballer. We definitely need Bruno (Fernandes), he's a fantastic footballer."

While Ratcliffe could be correct or not in his assessment, it is hard to see how his comments will improve squad morale, or make it easier to move the players he mentioned on for a reasonable transfer fee in the summer. 

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