Some at Old Trafford were enjoying the sound of silence. Manchester United have started to win on the pitch while becoming less newsworthy off it. After some of Ruben Amorim’s more explosive or entertaining interventions, Michael Carrick’s capacity to downplay everything in amiable fashion was appreciated.
But Amorim’s comments, if exaggerated at times, were never as toxic as Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s interview with Sky News. Ratcliffe, of course, is not merely United’s co-owner but chairman of Ineos, owner of Nice, and a cycling team. Yet United’s profile as a footballing and cultural institution is such that his political statements stick with them.
