Manchester United CEO Richard Arnold meets fans in pub and admits club has 'blown' a billion on players

Richard Arnold, the new Manchester United chief executive, has admitted that the club has “f------ burnt” vast sums of money during a candid meeting with disgruntled fans that was secretly filmed.

Leaked footage shows Arnold bluntly conceding that the club endured a “f------ nightmare year” - and the emergence on social media of the video has prompted warnings that other club owners and executives will become even less likely to engage informally with fans.

“Fair play to Richard Arnold - every fan moans about not getting access to people at the top of their club, this is the reason why they don’t,” said Jamie Carragher, the former England and Liverpool defender.

Supporters had been planning a protest outside Arnold's home amid ongoing unrest about the ownership of the Glazer family.

Arnold, who replaced Ed Woodward earlier this year, was told that a group of around 15 fans had congregated at the Boot Inn in Cheshire and so arrived at the pub himself. He bought the fans a round of drinks and they duly cleared the air by discussing a range of topics, including the owners and United's pursuit of Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

It’s believed that Arnold asked the fans not to film or record the chat, which lasted around one hour, but parts of the conversation did then appear on social media. Arnold was aware of the risk of that happening, but is understood still to be a little disappointed by the apparent breach of trust.

United recorded their lowest Premier League points haul in finishing sixth last year, and even ended the season with a neutral goal difference.The dreadful season was played out against a backdrop of ongoing protests against the Glazer family’s ownership. “We spent a billion pounds on players over the last 10 years, we spent more than anyone in Europe,” Arnold tells the fans in the video.

“I'm not thrilled where we are. It doesn't sit easy ... I worry ... we have got to get this sorted for the future.

"You can't go to our training ground and say: ‘By the way, show me where the £1 billion is here.' I don't think we have done well with the money we have spent historically. Last year was a f------ nightmare. I was hating every game. We've blown through an enormous amount of money.”

Despite his damning assessment of past spending, Arnold stressed that finances would not be a restricting factor in this summer’s transfer market. Further investment is needed, however, for capital projects like the stadium and training ground.

“The money the manager and the director of football [John Murtough] want is there,” he said.“I'm not here to defend [chairman] Joel [Glazer]. He must speak for himself. You may not like our current owners - I can't help that.

"For the future, for investing in a new stadium ... to do a latest-and-greatest £250m training ground we've got to do something. We've got to get investors in.

“I need that to do what I want for the club. I've got to have more cash than we have now because ... no club in the world has the money to build a new stadium. You either borrow it or someone invests it. The money has got to come from somewhere.”

Arnold also urged fans to get behind the team, admitting that players like Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho had been impacted by the abuse that followed England’s defeat in last summer’s Euro 2020 final against Italy on penalties.

“You have taken the time to come here and make your views known - and I respect that,” said Arnold. “I do respect your passion. I need some help from you. A lot of our players are young lads - they have had a torrid time - Rashford, Sancho, the abuse they got after the Euros. They come back. Crowd is on them. I’m not surprised their confidence is shot. I want to put us back together as a club so we are together, all pulling to be successful.”

A new era is about to begin at Old Trafford following the appointment of Erik ten Hag to replace interim manager Ralf Rangnick, who himself took over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November.

A spokesperson for Manchester United said: "Richard heard that a group of fans had gathered in a pub near his house.

"He went to meet them, bought them all a drink, listened to their views, and explained what the club is doing to deliver success on the pitch, improve the stadium, and strengthen engagement with fans."

The incident comes 2½ years after Woodward's Cheshire home was attacked by angry fans.