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Manchester United icon Paul Scholes has warned the club’s supporters against blindly believing everything Sir Jim Ratcliffe says, insisting that the co-owner has to back up his words with tangible action.
Scholes also slammed United for turning into a begging club despite previously being one of the richest and most profitable sporting institutions in the world.
This comes after United announced plans last week to build a new state-of-the-art stadium that’s expected to cost around £2billion.
United released stunning designs and concept plans of their new ground and the surrounding area but speculation over how the project will be funded remains rife.
The Glazers are highly unlikely to invest their own money, and public funding for the stadium has already been ruled out, as it will be restricted to the broader regeneration of the Old Trafford area.
Chief executive Omar Berrada insisted that there has been plenty of interest from parties interested in helping United financially to construct the 100,000-seater stadium, which Ratcliffe is keen to have completed in five years.
The announcement came at a time when United are still struggling, with the club currently languishing in 13th place in the Premier League standings. United also recently announced an increase in ticket prices for the third year in a row.
Speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, Scholes expressed skepticism regarding Ratcliffe and his ambitious plans for the future.
The former England international remarked [via the Daily Mail], “You can be gullible at times, and believe what he [Sir Jim Ratcliffe] says, just because you’ve never heard anyone say anything before.”
“You don’t know how realistic it is, it’s all up in the air. Words are cheap, and we could say anything about anyone, you can say in 10 years we’ll have the biggest and best stadium in the world, you can say anything!”
“For a long time, we’ve been called the richest club in the world, but I feel like we’re begging a little but, coming out and asking for the stadium and that we need £2billion, and selling players to buy players.”
United are back in action after the international break as they take on Nottingham Forest at the City Ground on April 1. Amorim’s men will be heading into the game on a four-match unbeaten run.
Featured image Michael Regan via Getty Images
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