Manchester United fans are planning a protest against Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his owners

An influential group of Manchester United fans are planning a protest against the ownership, which they accuse of “turning the club into a circus”.

The 1958 group were responsible for protests over the way United are run which attracted thousands in March last year – although they scrapped a plan to repeat them ahead of their opening home game of the season against Arsenal.

Discontent against the minority owner, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, has been growing in recent weeks, and the appointment and subsequent sacking of Ruben Amorim sparked a call for a protest ahead of the Red Devils’ match with Fulham on 1 February.

Fans unfurled an anti-Ratcliffe banner at Turf Moor on Wednesday ahead of the 2-2 draw with Burnley, when fans also sang vicious songs against co-chairman Joel Glazer.

“Going from one disaster to another, Ratcliffe emerges as an incompetent clown who turns the club into a circus,” the 1958 group said in a statement.

“Instead of being the best in our class, we became a laughing stock.

“It has been an extraordinary and deeply worrying few days at Manchester United. On the pitch, we are watching mediocre performances from a mediocre team drifting without identity, direction or ambition. Off the pitch, the chaos is worse.”

United’s senior officials are continuing their search for an interim coach to replace Amorim, although sources familiar with the situation say substantive talks with front-runners Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick have yet to take place.

Sources close to Ratcliffe are defending him, pointing to the £250m of his own money he has invested in the club, including a complete refurbishment of United’s Carrington training complex, as evidence that he is sincere in his desire to take the club forward.

However, others point to the decision to retain Erik Ten Hag after the 2024 FA Cup final win over Manchester City, invest £200m in new players, then sack the Dutchman just nine games into the new Premier League season, and then do something similar with Amorim after a 15th-place finish last season, as clear examples of flawed thinking.