United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe says some players "overpaid" and "not good enough"

Manchester United's co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has accused some players of "not being good enough" for the club - adding some are "overpaid".

Ratcliffe named Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Casemiro, plus Jadon Sancho and Antony, who are both on loan, as he spoke about "players we are buying this summer, that we didn't buy" in an interview with the BBC.

Ratcliffe said: "These are all things from the past, whether we like it or not, we've inherited those things and have to sort that out.

"For Sancho, who now plays for Chelsea and we pay half his wages, we're paying £17million to buy him in the summer."

Asked if he was suggesting those players were not good enough for United, Ratcliffe said: "Some are not good enough and some probably are overpaid, but for us to mould the squad that we are fully responsible for, and accountable for, will take time."

After United - currently 14th in the Premier League - finished eighth last season and won the FA Cup, they opted to stick with boss Erik ten Hag.

The Dutchman was subsequently sacked in October, being replaced by Ruben Amorim, and Ineos chairman Ratcliffe has accepted the decision to keep Ten Hag on was a mistake - and that the same applied to hiring Dan Ashworth as sporting director, a role he left in December.

"I agree the Erik ten Hag and Dan Ashworth decisions were errors," Ratcliffe said. "I think there were some mitigating circumstances, but ultimately they were errors. I accept that and I apologise for that."

While United have lost eight out of their 17 league games under Amorim and only won five, Ratcliffe has given him his backing.

"If I actually look at the squad which is available to Ruben, I think he is doing a really good job to be honest," Ratcliffe said. "He's an excellent manager and I think he will be there for a long time."

Ratcliffe was speaking a day on from from thousands of United supporters taking part in a protest against the club's ownership ahead of the 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Angry chants included some directed at Ratcliffe, whose decisions have included a mid-season ticket hike of remaining home tickets to £66 per match, while last month the club announced up to 200 further redundancies were anticipated, with 250 jobs cut already last summer.

Ratcliffe said some decisions were "unpleasant" but "necessary", and that while he feels sympathy for the fans, "the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things".

The 72-year-old, who stressed his "only interest here is returning Manchester United back to greatness again", also said Amorim would have money to spend in the summer, with the budget changing "upon who we may choose to sell", and that the aim of winning the league by 2028, the club's 150th anniversary, was "not impossible".

Ratcliffe said he feels United are going to "finish up in a very very different place in three years' time", adding that he thinks they will "become the most profitable club in the world."

You can hear the latest news on Kerrang! Radio.