Manchester United legend Paul Scholes has slammed Sir Jim Ratcliffe's decision to increase ticket prices at the club, describing the controversial hike as "ridiculous" and "not right."

United made the mid-season decision to raise matchday ticket prices to £66 per game in the Premier League, with no concessions for children or pensioners, which angered fans.

The club said the hike would only affect a small number of fans as 97 per cent of tickets have already been sold but the remainder and resold tickets will be subject to the increase.

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The reality is supporters have been forced to walk away from attending games. One fan told the Manchester Evening News the changes were "gutting" and another slammed it as a "disgusting policy", questioning how it has been deemed fair to charge children £66 to watch a game.

Ratcliffe has received intense backlash over the decision and his reasoning for the increase added fuel to the fire, which saw his popularity among fans plummet.

Scholes criticised the price increase in the latest episode of The Overlap and questioned how Ratcliffe had the gall to increase prices to watch the worst United side in decades.

“[Ineos] have been in charge for nearly a year now and everything is still negative. I can’t think of something positive that they’ve done for the football club," said a candid Scholes.

"Things are getting worse on the football pitch so couldn’t they have just said that they’d do cheaper tickets – couldn’t they just give us something positive. How can you ask Manchester United fans to pay more money with what’s on the football pitch. £66 for a ticket is ridiculous.

"If you think of Manchester, there are so many deprived areas and Sir Jim Ratcliffe himself is from Failsworth – which is a deprived area. If you take one kid with you, that’s £120, if you take a family, you’re looking at £300-400 – it’s not right.

“Where do these owners get the front to put ticket prices up? For the value – we’re probably having our worst ever Premier League season and they’ve got the cheek to put the prices up.”

Scholes added: “There is nothing positive happening with that football club. The team look bang average. They’re not doing anything for fans. If we’ve got Sir Jim Ratcliffe, compared to all these American owners, who’s been a United fan since growing up in an area in Manchester – he’s still hiking prices up. It just shows that they don’t care."

Ratcliffe sat down with United We Stand magazine in December and said of the anger at the ticket price rises: "I understand that. I was brought up on a council estate in Manchester, I absolutely get that.

"I don't want to end up in a position where the genuine local fans can't afford to come, but I do want to optimise the ticketing. We need to find a balance. And you can't be popular all the time either. Here, we're talking about three per cent of the tickets. That's not the issue.

"The issue, as you say, is whether this is the thin edge of the wedge. I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham."

Told that wages are higher in London, Ratcliffe continued: "I get that. I'm not sure there's an answer that keeps everybody happy, but we need to keep the majority happy."

Outlining more details on the club's decision to increase matchday ticket prices, the Ineos chief added: "It's an emotive one, ticketing, but we have to have some benchmarks with ticketing.

"We must make sure that we look after the community because at the end of the day it's their football club. We need to make sure that people who are genuine supporters can afford to go. Maybe their circumstances don't allow them to spend a fortune on tickets."

Scholes was speaking on The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet.