“Now we are far from the top. We have to bring in more players to compete…. I expect more from everyone. More investment? 100 per cent. I expect more from our technical director.”

Switch “players” for “riders”, and Manchester United’s Lisandro Martínez could very well have been talking about another one of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s sporting projects when he delivered his extraordinary post-match interview in the wake of United’s Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night: the Netcompany INEOS cycling team.

Because as the cycling season comes to close, yet again questions are being asked of Ratcliffe’s investment and commitment, the team’s future, its transfer strategy, its identity and its raison d’être.

Like United, Netcompany INEOS is increasingly a shadow of its former self — a once dominant team now trying to compete with other big-budget teams who have overtaken and outpaced them.

And as Martínez questions the management and direction of the project at United, the riders signed to Netcompany INEOS could justifiably be asking the same. In fact, according to sources who all spoke to The Athletic anonymously to protect relationships, several riders are asking similar questions to Martínez.

This article was published by The Athletic in October 2026. To read the full article click here.