Who REALLY Runs Manchester United Now?

Who is really running Manchester United right now?

After years of instability since the retirement of Alex Ferguson, United are back in the Champions League and preparing to make one of the biggest decisions in the club’s modern history: appointing a permanent manager.

Will it be Michael Carrick after his impressive interim spell? Or will INEOS and Jim Ratcliffe go in another direction?

And with the Glazer family still holding a majority stake in the club, who is actually making the big decisions at Old Trafford?

This week on Moneyball: The Business of Sport, host Scott Keenan speaks with Chris Blackhurst — former editor of The Independent in the UK and author of The World’s Biggest Cash Machine, the acclaimed book about the ownership of Manchester United and the financial model behind one of the biggest clubs in world football.

In this episode:

• The Glazer takeover and leveraged buyout
• Manchester United’s debt and transfer obligations
• INEOS and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s role at the club
• Why Champions League qualification matters financially
• Whether United can realistically challenge for the Premier League again
• The risk and politics around appointing Michael Carrick
• Recruitment mistakes and football decision-making
• Old Trafford redevelopment and long-term strategy
• Whether Manchester United is still being run like a “cash machine”

Moneyball: The Business of Sport is an Australian sports business podcast hosted by Scott Keenan, exploring the money, power, politics, media, and strategy shaping global sport.

If you enjoy conversations about:

• Manchester United
• Premier League ownership
• Football finance
• Sports business
• Sir Jim Ratcliffe
• INEOS
• The Glazers
• Michael Carrick
• UEFA Champions League
• Football media and strategy

…make sure you subscribe and follow the show.

🎧 Listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube.

📩 Got a question or guest suggestion? Email: askmoneyball.show@gmail.com

And remember: if you want to know what’s really going on in sport… you’ve gotta follow the money.