Sir Jim Ratcliffe's desperate Man United plan could cause more damage than good

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's long-term goal is to get Manchester United back to the top and make them a force not only in England but Europe too.

However, the theme since arriving in February has been to not only save money but find new means to make it. Controversially, Ineos have chosen to hike ticket prices while United languish in the lower half of the Premier League table.

But that is not the only money-making scheme that Ratcliffe is looking to employ. According to The Athletic, United are planning a lucrative post-season tour of Malaysia where they will play a meaningless match or two with the goal of spinning as much cash as possible.

The tour could earn United as much as £7.96m which to most clubs is a significant sum but for the Reds, considering the levels of debt and the money needed to fund player signings and Old Trafford's redevelopment, it is a drop in the ocean. The fear though, is that the knock-on implications of this decision have not been thoroughly thought through.

Football currently finds itself with a systemic problem where the calendar is becoming more and more strained. Whether it be UEFA or FIFA, elite clubs are having more fixtures added to their schedules than ever before.

How can United possibly argue against this expansion of the season for player welfare, if they are more than happy to travel across the globe for a couple of meaningless matches after the regular campaign ends? All it does is tell those authorities that clubs are hypocrites and are only interested in extra matches if the appearance fee works for them.

Also, does the post-season tour actually benefit Ruben Amorim and his players. For Amorim, he will be forced into an extra week or so with a group of players, some of whom won't be