According to reports, Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will ‘axe 200 jobs’ on Friday and staff morale at the club has hit ‘rock bottom’.
INEOS chief Ratcliffe has been heavily criticised over the past year as he’s quickly become an incredibly unpopular figure at Man Utd.
Initially, the British billionaire’s takeover was met with overwhelming positivity, but this has swiftly eroded as he’s made several brutal cuts.
One of Ratcliffe’s priorities has been to cut costs at Old Trafford and while this is necessary, some cuts have been deemed overly severe as morale at the club has taken a severe hit.
Ratcliffe has sanctioned mass redundancies, cut benefits to club legends, scrapped free lunches for staff and has hiked ticket prices.
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Ratcliffe claims Man Utd ran the risk of going “bust by Christmas” without these cuts, but this is hard to believe considering they have announced plans for a new 100,000-seater stadium and still have a £100m transfer budget after the loss to Spurs in the Europa League final.
The Man Utd cuts remain ongoing and a report from The Daily Mail on Friday morning revealed they have ‘begun the process of telling staff they have lost their jobs’.
A ‘source’ for The Daily Mail has revealed why some staff are ‘surprised’ at Ratcliffe’s latest ‘savage’ cuts.
‘Sources have expressed surprise at the timing of the move to deliver the latest news to staff, so soon after the defeat in Bilbao, but the club would appear keen to make savings as soon as possible, especially after missing out on the £100million windfall of Champions League qualification.’
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A few hours later, a report from The Telegraph confirmed Man Utd will ‘axe 200 jobs today’, with staff morale at ‘rock bottom’.
Around 250 staff were dismissed last summer and a further 200 individuals ‘will discover if they have lost their jobs today’.
It is noted that ‘swingeing cuts’ are expected with staff ‘braced’ to be affected in areas ‘across an array of football and non-football departments, including scouting, analysts and commercial, as United streamline operations’.
There could be ugly scenes at Old Trafford on Sunday as Man Utd host Aston Villa in their final game of the 2024/25 season.
The 1958 fans’ group have confirmed plans for another protest against Ratcliffe and the Glazer family on Sunday.
“We will start on Sir Matt Busby Way to symbolise the standards that are being decayed and lost, installed by Sir Matt and profoundly precious to all of us,” the 1958 said.
“The club is drowning in over a billion pounds of debt, our fanbase is fractured and divided and our stadium neglected – [all] down to Glazer greed and betrayal. They’ve taken everything.
“Now, even Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival has come at the cost of hundreds of jobs, further punishing a fanbase already suffering under the Glazers’ reign. Lifelong loyal supporters are being driven away from the club they love – priced out and pushed aside. Another dagger in the heart of our footballing community.
“We march. As one fanbase. To make it clear: 20 years on, the fire still burns Red – with fury and defiance. We want the Glazers out of our club.”
