Manchester United announce more job cuts - and scrap free lunches for staff | OneFootball

Manchester United could sack a further 200 members of staff as they announced another round of redundancies and a further cost-cutting plan.

United announced a range of measures in a bid to claw back money, including scrapping free lunches for staff at Old Trafford, which they believe will save £1m a year.

But having axed 250 jobs last year, they might take the number of people Sir Jim Ratcliffe has fired during his brief ownership to 450 as they revealed that between 150 and 200 roles could disappear.

open image in gallery

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has sanctioned more cost-cutting measures at United (Getty Images)

United have made losses in each of the last five financial years, totalling £373m, and chief executive Omar Berrada claimed they are “putting the club on a stable financial footing” which will put them in a stronger position to invest in the men’s and women’s teams.

He said: “We have a responsibility to put Manchester United in the strongest position to win across our men’s, women’s and academy teams.

“We are initiating a wide-ranging series of measures which will transform and renew the club. Unfortunately, this means announcing further potential redundancies and we deeply regret the impact on those affected colleagues. However, these hard choices are necessary to put the club back on a stable financial footing.

“We have lost money for the past five consecutive years. This cannot continue. Our two main priorities as a club are delivering success on the pitch for our fans and improving our facilities. We cannot invest in these objectives if we are continuously losing money.

“At the end of this process, we will have a more lean, agile and financially sustainable football club, while continuing to provide a world class service to our valuable commercial partners. We will then be in a much stronger position to invest in football success and improved facilities for fans, while remaining compliant with Uefa and Premier League regulations.”

United’s plans involve reducing the amount paid in bonuses this year and bringing in more performance-related pay.

They will cut the number of staff in their London office and moving more of those in Manchester from Old Trafford to the Carrington training ground.

open image in gallery

United will scrap packed lunches for matchday staff at Old Trafford (AFP via Getty Images)

They will continue to provide some food for staff at Carrington, with catering arrangements unchanged for the rest of the season and then different levels provided for players and other workers.

However, they believe they can save a seven-figure sum by stopping providing lunches at Old Trafford, arguing that puts them in line with many other workplaces.

However, a series of perks for staff have already been cut, including free travel to and food at Cup finals and scrapping the annual Christmas party,

United have also hired Marc Armstrong, who joins from Paris Saint-Germain as Chief Business Officer, as they look to improve their commercial revenues.

The club, who made a loss of £113m for the 2023-24 financial year, expect to have an income of between £650m and £670m this year but are only 15th in the Premier League.

Last week, they announced a £27.7m loss for the second quarter of the financial year, including £4.1m of costs in paying off sacked sporting director Dan Ashworth and £10.4m to former manager Erik ten Hag and his backroom staff.