Sir Jim Ratcliffe has injected a further £79 million into Manchester United, increasing his stake in the club and transferring ownership of his involvement to his Ineos company.
The petrochemical billionaire paid around £1.2 billion for 27.7 percent of the club earlier this year and agreed to invest $300 million (£237 million) as part of the deal.
A filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission confirmed the final payment of $100m (£79m) and an increase in shareholding to 28.94 per cent. It also announced that ownership of those shares has been transferred from Ratcliffe to Ineos.
Mail Sport understands the £79m will not go towards new manager Ruben Amorim's January war chest.
The investment was intended for infrastructure, but will be used throughout the club.
Ineos have made a host of cost savings since their arrival, allowing injection to go to areas where it is needed, rather than being swallowed up by costs.
It is also understood that when the deal was made with majority owners, the Glazer family, it was easier for Ratcliffe's name to appear on the shares as his money was used.
However, all its other clubs and sporting groups fall under the Ineos umbrella and its co-ownership of United will now join that stable.
Ratcliffe has endured a chaotic spell at Old Trafford since joining the club 12 months ago, despite seeing Manchester United win the FA Cup under Erik ten Hag at the end of last season.
The Red Devils, who were discussing the Dutchman's future ahead of their Wembley final, extended Ten Hag's contract before sacking him four months later after a dismal start to the new Premier League season.
Ratcliffe gave Ten Hag more than £200 million to spend in the summer transfer market before parting ways with him in October, handing out £15 million in compensation.
He also moved Dan Ashworth away from Newcastle as sporting director before making the decision to relinquish his services last week after just a few months in the role.
The 72-year-old has also made a series of unpopular decisions, including a mid-season move to increase match ticket prices to £66 per match – without making concessions to children or pensioners – while more than 250 club staff have been made redundant. redundant.
Manchester United and Liverpool fans will reportedly come together to protest rising ticket prices when the bitter rivals face each other in the Premier League next month.
It is believed that supporters of both clubs are planning demonstrations during the match at Anfield on January 5, having already campaigned against ticket increases this month.
United fans displayed a 'Stop Exploiting Loyalty' banner during their Premier League match against Everton on December 1, with Toffees supporters joining forces to also protest the increase.
Amorim was appointed as Ten Hag's permanent successor in November after interim manager Ruud van Nistelrooy had a fruitful and short period in charge. Most recently, he triumphed 2-1 in the Manchester derby on Sunday thanks to a late turnaround inspired by Bruno Fernandes and Amad Diallo.
The Red Devils, who face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals on Thursday evening, are still in 13th place in the Premier League with six wins, four draws and six defeats to their name after 16 games.
Marcus Rashford has been left out of Amorim's squad to face Spurs after admitting in an impressive interview on Tuesday that he plans to leave Manchester United for a 'new challenge'.
The United striker, who made his first-team debut in 2016, claimed it was a matter of 'when' and not 'if' regarding his departure when speaking to journalist Henry Winter.
Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, who return against Tottenham, were both missing from the Red Devils' selection against Manchester City on Sunday.
The former England international has scored just four times in 15 Premier League appearances this season, while assisting just once.
Amorim has since claimed he wants Rashford to stay at the club despite being dropped from the squad following the club's dramatic win over Manchester City.
Nevertheless, the Portuguese coach wanted the striker to speak to him first before speaking to the public about his future.
“If this were me I would probably speak to the manager, but let's concentrate on Tottenham,” Amorim said.
'It's hard to explain to you what I'm going to do. I'm a bit emotional, so I'll decide right now what to do.”
A huge task for Ratcliffe and his fellow United owners will be how to deal with the Rashford situation in January, as the forward has publicly revealed his plans to leave Old Trafford.
Mail Sport exclusively revealed how the club would accept offers of £40million for the forward in January, despite the £325,000-a-week star being worth as much as £100million a few years ago.
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