Morale is said to have dropped even further at the club as the new regime prepares to cut up to 200 jobs
Manchester United have started informing staff at Carrington of further redundancies, amid INEOS plans to reduce club spending. The latest wave of layoffs – the second round since Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a minority stake in early 2024 – is expected to affect as many as 200 employees, according to BBC Sport.
Sources tied to the club say the process has been underway quietly for weeks, but those directly tied to the first team were told of their fates only after the Europa League final in Bilbao, to avoid disrupting preparations.
The areas where staff will lose the most jobs include the scouting, medical and sports science departments of the club. Before these latest cuts, United employed around 1,100 staff. The first round of redundancies in 2024 saw roughly 250 people lose their jobs, reportedly saving the club between £8m and £10m. Then chief executive Omar Berrada said early this year that a further 150 to 200 roles would follow, leaving the club with around 600 to 700 employees.
Ratcliffe has long said that the United workforce is bloated and its operations inefficient. He also said in an interview with Gary Neville on The Overlap in March that the club was at risk of going bust due to overspending. United’s accounts have revealed losses of upwards £370 million over the past five years, and £313 million is still owed in transfer instalments. With United missing out on European football next season, there is set to be an additional shortfall of around £100 million.
The ongoing cuts are part of a broader austerity drive led by Ratcliffe to try and rescue the club’s finances. Other smaller changes include removing certain roles like Sir Alex Ferguson’s club ambassadorship, closing the staff canteen and replacing the food with free fruit, cancelling free tickets for employees for the final in Bilbao, and replacing a potential victory parade with a private barbecue.
Top salary earners in the club, along with young players with the potential for good money transfers, are also set to be sold in the summer to reduce the wage bill and generate revenue.
On Thursday the club went ahead with the planned barbecue anyway, despite the disappointing loss in Bilbao. Club chiefs said it was a way to bring unity and try to boost morale among staff in a difficult period.
