Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s decision to cut 250 jobs at Manchester United, which caused shock and tears from some employees, will save about £10m a year. With the redundancies worth an estimated £40,000 a head, the saving is part of Ratcliffe’s drive to restructure the club and make it sustainable.
There is a recognition among the workforce that United have become a bloated operation and the Guardian reported last December that up to 300 jobs were under threat. But when the planned redundancies were communicated at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday, there was surprise among a number of those attending in person or remotely.
The meeting, which began at noon, was scheduled for an hour but lasted only 15 minutes. The announcement was led by Jean-Claude Blanc, the acting chief executive, who will stand down when Omar Berrada begins as the permanent CEO on 13 July.
Berrada has been on gardening leave since his hiring from Manchester City in January and is expected to join United’s summer tour of the US, which begins when Erik ten Hag’s team fly to Los Angeles on 24 July.
Ten Hag signed a new deal to 2026 on Thursday after a review of his candidacy which included Jason Wilcox, the technical director, speaking with numerous potential replacements. Despite the transparent consideration given to replacing the manager, Ten Hag and Ratcliffe’s leadership team recognise the need for unity if United are to be successful.
United retain a firm interest in signing the centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt from Everton and Bayern Munich respectively. However Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire may have to be sold for both to be signed because of financial imperatives.
Last month United had a £45m offer for Branthwaite rejected. They will make a second bid only if Everton indicate a willingness to lower their valuation, thought to be a minimum of £60m. United believe De Ligt is worth between £40m and £50m.
On Friday United and Nice, who are also owned by Ratcliffe, were cleared by Uefa to compete together in next season’s Europa League. Uefa also ruled that Manchester City and their sister club Girona could play in the Champions League.
This followed an inquiry into a potential conflict of interest between the respective sister clubs which caused all to make requisite changes in structure and agree to key demands. These include no transfers between United and Nice, or City and Girona, or “joint technical or commercial agreements or the use of any joint scouting or player database”, a Uefa statement said.
