Sir Jim Ratcliffe names the one thing that would force him to leave United

'I can put up with it for a while'

Ratcliffe took over football operations after buying a stake in the club just over a year ago and has implemented a raft of cost-cutting measures that have drawn criticism.

These include significant ticket price hikes and hundreds of job cuts, while Ratcliffe has also claimed several players are 'not good enough' and 'overpaid'.

The INEOS boss claims he doesn't mind being unpopular however he has said he will quit United if things go too far.

In an interview with The Times he said: "I can put up with it for a while. I don't mind being unpopular because I get that nobody likes seeing Manchester United down where they are and nobody likes the decisions we're having to make.

"If I draw a bit of the ire, I can put up with that. But I'm no different to the average person. It's not nice, particularly for friends and family.

"So, eventually, if it reached the extent that the Glazer family have been abused, then I'd have to say: 'Look, enough's enough, guys, let somebody else do this.' They can't really come to a match, the Glazers.

"They've retreated into the shadows a bit now, so I'm getting all the stick. We bought in and I haven't seen them since. It's: 'Thank you, Jim, you're doing a really good job.'

"I don't have security, I don't have to walk around like that. But it would defeat the object, wouldn't it? You couldn't tolerate it at that level, it just wouldn't be fun."

He also went on to defend the Glazers saying they are the 'nicest people on the planet'.

He said: "The people who advise me say the fans don't want to hear it. So I've got to be cautious. I get a lot of criticism if I support the Glazers, but the fact is they're really decent people.

"They're East Coast, you know — that old East Coast America, they're very polite, they're very civilized, they're the nicest people on the planet.

"I mean, there isn't a bad bone in Joel Glazer's body. I mean, part of the problem is there isn't a bad bone in his body, which is why he didn't bloody… I mean, I wouldn't have tolerated Ed Woodward, or Richard Arnold."

Back in January he was ambushed by fans at United's away game at Fulham. The 72-year-old rolled down his window thinking fans wanted a photo with him but quickly wound it back up after realising the crowd was less adoring fans and more of an angry mob who wanted to criticise his decision to increase ticket prices.