How Man Utd are viewed outside of England under Ineos' reign as Europe is mirror image of Asia now – opinion

Manchester United have been battered and bruised post-Sir Alex Ferguson, but Ineos are still in control of one of the biggest clubs in world football.

According to the Football Ground Guide in September, Manchester United have a collective social media presence that reaches 222.4 million around the world.

Man Utd’s official website pitches to would-be investors that the Premier League club’s fan base and follower count is at a staggering 1.1 billion people worldwide.

Despite the brand stature of United as a behemoth powerhouse, Ineos have received a rude awakening for the shift in tone around the Red Devils’ overall reputation.

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Man Utd’s co-ownership under Ineos and the Glazers has seen the Red Devils become a ‘laughing stock’ in Europe

During an episode of The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker asked French reporter Julien Laurens if Manchester United are still considered one of football’s titan clubs in Europe. Both Julien Laurens and Gary Lineker agreed that the Red Devils are still a heavyweight side in terms of stature in both Europe and the world.

However, the tone immediately shifted when Laurens provided United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe with ‘truth bombs’ about how the Red Devils are viewed from an outsider’s perspective in Europe.

“But they’re becoming a laughing stock,” he told Lineker.

“And this is not… I’m not having a dig at United here or the fans. But it’s true. Everywhere we’re just laughing at everything that happens to them. You could not make it up, Gary. You could [not], you just could [not].”

It is the harsh reality check that Ineos need to hear about United, which is being carried by their incredibly rich history. Only back in 2013, the Red Devils were still the most dominant club in England under Sir Alex Ferguson and a formidable opposition to face in the Champions League.

However, it has been turbulent for the Red Devils since the legendary former United manager retired, including being in and out of European club competitions at an alarming rate. The slippery slope of United’s trajectory over the last 13 years added to Laurens’ assessment of how Europe is viewing United.

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“If somebody had to write a script of, ‘Hey, this great club in 2013, okay, this legendary manager is going to go, but this is the greatest club of the last 50 years or whatever. And look at where they are now. Look at what’s happening to them,’” he added.

“You know, they’re just above the bottom three in the Premier League. It’s complete chaos. And that is just the laughing stock of European football right now.

We’ve seen giants in Germany like Hamburg going down and things like that, but we never thought United would be in this position right now.”

For a club that is meant to command respect in Europe, the ‘laughing stock’ claim will be stinging for United fans and sums up the mess caused under the management of Ineos and the Glazers. Europe is not alone in the shifting tone towards United either.

United’s fall in quality since the Sir Alex Ferguson era has been felt in Asia as well, as BBC Sport reported in 2025. The news outlet spoke to people in Asia during the Red Devils’ tour in 2025 and found the desire to support a team like United was not the same as it was in the past.

Mumbai-based Man Utd fan Rahul Singh told BBC Sport: “Why choose to support a team that loses a lot?”

Another individual, Bangkok-based United supporter Narinpaj Bunyavirapan, explained how fans would not automatically follow in the footsteps of parents for the teams they would support outside of their country.

“One of my friends tried to buy United jerseys for his sons, but they chose [Manchester] City jerseys instead,” he said.

United’s woes in England are evident in the current state of the Premier League campaign under Michael Carrick. But the performances this season are continuing to ripple across the world as a once incredible dynasty is a shadow of its former self.