Former Man Utd defender Paul Parker thinks Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to end free food for staff puts the club “in a position where they’re like a lamb to the slaughter”.
The Red Devils are having a season to forget with Ruben Amorim’s side currently 15th in the Premier League table with 12 matches of the campaign to play.
Only four teams have scored fewer goals than Man Utd this season and Amorim is already under pressure after winning just four of his first 15 Premier League matches.
Man Utd fans had hoped the arrival of Ratcliffe and INEOS in February last year would have a postive impact on things at Old Trafford – but the Red Devils have been in a downward spiral ever since.
Erik ten Hag did win the FA Cup to hide a shambolic Premier League campaign before the Dutchman was sacked at the end of October and replaced by Amorim.
Ratcliffe has overseen mass redundancies at Old Trafford in a cost-cutting exercise and the club announced earlier this week that they are about to cut up to another 200 workers.
A report on Monday announced that Ratcliffe has taken further measures to save money with lunches being ‘reduced to basics’ for everyone except the first team.
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And former Man Utd defender Parker has been appalled at Ratcliffe’s latest move and suspects another staff member has “leaked it because they didn’t agree with the decision”.
Parker told AceOdds: “It’s not good when a story like this comes out, especially considering how things already are at the club. It’s the last thing the fans want to hear about.
“Stories like this shouldn’t come out. Regardless of how bad things are on the pitch, this just makes it worse. Maybe someone leaked it because they didn’t agree with the decision—it’s almost like a Robin Hood situation.
“It’s totally embarrassing, and it puts the club in a position where they’re like a lamb to the slaughter. To me, this decision doesn’t seem right.”
But Parker reckons fans “will accept it” if the cost cutting results in a better team on the pitch at Man Utd, he added: “If we look at the lower-level employees—what they earn and what they contribute—they are the ones who will suffer. And yet, they are exactly the kind of people the club needs.
“Many of them are lifelong Manchester United fans, with deep family connections to the club. I’m really not happy about this.
“But we also have to acknowledge that if results on the pitch improve after these layoffs, fans will forget about it quickly. If it can be proven that these changes make a difference, the fans will accept it.”
