Manchester United are set to abandon traditional gift-giving as part of their pre-season plans, talkSPORT understands. <\/strong><\/p>\n Rivals believe it’s a cost-cutting measure, although United sources insist it’s a move away from needless ceremony and pomp, especially when facing English opponents.<\/p>\n 2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> Clubs usually exchange both pennants and gifts during pre-season friendlies, but United won’t partake in the latter when they play Leeds United on July 19 in Stockholm. <\/p>\n Their Premier League<\/a> Summer Series fixtures against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton will also likely be devoid of gift giving. It remains to be seen whether United change their approach for Fiorentina at Old Trafford on August 9.<\/p>\n During pre-season, clubs tend to exchange personalised shirts, or other club merchandise, while some even create custom items specific to each friendly, including silverware.<\/p>\n These are often viewed as displayable and unique items, especially by clubs who perhaps only get to face a team like Manchester United<\/a> during the off-season. The gifts become a gesture of goodwill and help forge relationships between executives.<\/p>\n The exchange of the pennant, and usually the gifts, tends to happen before the match, and is sometimes done in front of the cameras.<\/p>\n Manchester United plan to instead put some budget towards hosting rival executives, starting with a planned drinks reception with Leeds officials in Stockholm.<\/p>\n Given United faced Leeds 12 months ago in Oslo Norway, and will come up against them in the Premier League, there is a feeling pre-season gifts to familiar foes are needless and even old-fashioned.<\/p>\n Although United insist their move away from gift-giving is not budget-driven, under INEOS, Manchester United is undergoing significant cost-cutting measures driven by Sir Jim Ratlciffe. This has included hundreds of redundancies, and the closure of the staff canteen.<\/p>\n Funding to the club’s charitable arm, The Manchester United Foundation, has been reduced.<\/p>\n And Ratcliffe has also ended legendary manager Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role<\/a>, while Bryan Robson, Andy Cole and Denis Irwin have had their salaries cut.<\/p>\n 2<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div> These measures form part of a broader effort to address the club’s financial losses, which have exceeded \u00a3300m over the past three years.<\/p>\n When Ratcliffe joined as a minority owner, he pledged \u00a3220m of personal investment, but feels this money won’t have an impact without stabilising the club’s finances first, even warning the money at the club could run out entirely.<\/p>\nread more man united news<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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