Man United to drastically cut workforce with bout of redundancies

Manchester United are to cut their workforce by almost a quarter with 250 employees set for redundancy.

Staff at the Premier League side were informed of the drastic changes which will occur across all departments at a series of meetings on Wednesday morning.

It comes after a wide-scale review was conducted following Sir Jim Ratcliffe-led INEOS’ acquisition of a stake in the club.

After review it was concluded that cuts needed to be made as its first step in elevating the club back to the upper echelons of domestic and European football.

Therefore, a redundancy process will now take place with a significant number of staff set to depart.

With on-pitch performance a huge priority for INEOS, United have pinpointed a number of factors for the upheaval, including cost-cutting measures in order to reinvest the money back into the playing squad.

United also have the dilemma of complying with the Premier League’s profit and sustainability (PSR) rules which have also contributed to the decision.

Reports claim Manchester United boasted the biggest staff pool of the big six Premier League clubs with 1,112.

By comparison, Liverpool have 1,005, while Chelsea employ 788, Tottenham 719, Arsenal 64 and Manchester City 520.

The review showed that staffing costs had risen to an astronomical level and that the size of the staff does not reflect the level of the team having finished eighth in the table last season.

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The decision is believed to have been given the green light by majority owners the Glazers and those affected will be notified of the next step in the coming weeks.

Poor financial decisions on and off the pitch has ultimately led to such a process with poor transfer business at the forefront of the club’s need to tighten the purse strings and bring an end to non-essential activities.

Work has already started on revamping the tunnel at Old Trafford whilst INEOS have given the all clear for the club’s Carrington Training Base to undergo a major facelift in an operation that will cost around £50m.

In an interview last month, Ratclife, the INEOS CEO, revealed he had seen ‘lots of bad surprises’ at the club. 

He told The Times: “I see the problem as an opportunity. “There are so many opportunities to improve a lot of Manchester United everywhere we look, which is a good thing.”