Ratcliffe makes another ruthless decision at United, this one could be the last straw for angry fans – report

Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly planning to axe up to 200 more staff as part of his efforts to reduce operational costs at the club.

Since Ratcliffe completed his partial 27.7% investment into the club, he has been on a campaign to improve United’s financial shape amidst a need to comply with the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules.

The INEOS billionaire has made no secret of his desire to restore United to their past glories and he believes transformations are needed both on and off the pitch.

United have posted five consecutive full-year losses since last achieving profitability during the 2018/19 campaign. The Red Devils recorded a net loss of £113million in their 2023/24 accounts and made cumulative losses over the past five years of £370m.

Some of the cost-cutting measures implemented by Ratcliffe have earned him criticism from fans, the media and ex-players. Last year, he made around 250 employees redundant – a decision that was expected to save them between £40-45m.

The British businessman also hicked ticket prices, cancelled Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial contract and cancelled the popular staff Christmas party.

Now, the Daily Mail reveal that there is more pain on the way, with Ratcliffe keen on culling an additional 100-200 jobs at Old Trafford.

“Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos are planning on making more than 100 further redundancies at Manchester United, Mail Sport understands. No figure has been specified, but insiders are anticipating more than 100 but fewer than 200.”

“Staff are not thought to have been made aware of the latest proposals. The news is expected to be broken to them formally at some point in the near future. No final numbers are thought to have been decided on. All areas of the business have been targeted for potential savings. The aim is to make the business leaner and to ensure all focus is placed on providing Amorim with the funds needed to strengthen.”

A source told The Sun about this development, “Ultimately, football is a business but there are hundreds of people who work tirelessly behind-the-scenes who contribute to any club’s success.”

“Morale is already on the floor after last year’s job losses. This will come as another big blow.”

It’s understood that Ratcliffe’s objective is to free up cash for the club to spend on reinforcing the men’s first team.

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