Man Utd set to make a QUARTER of staff redundant as Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos continue to slash costs
MANCHESTER UNITED are set to make almost a quarter of their staff redundant in a massive money-saving scheme by Ineos, according to reports.
Staff were informed by the club’s leadership team, including Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc, early on Wednesday that up to 250 of the clubs employees would be let go.
A wide-scale cost review into the club was launched after Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos completed their 27.7 per cent purchase of the club in January.
And according to the Daily Mail, this review has recommended cuts across the board in an effort to make the club staffing operation more lean and agile.
There is also said to be a desire to be “best in class” with an increased accountability among the workforce.
A report from The Athletic adds that the aim is to make the cuts – recommended by consultancy firm Interpath Advisory – before the start of the season.
It is understood the money saved in the redundancy process – thought to be in the tens of millions – will be funnelled into the coffers of Erik ten Hag‘s recruitment budget.
The review found that the size of the workforce – 1,112 as of June 30, 2023 – does not reflect where the club is on the pitch, 8th in the Premier League and 31 points behind rivals Manchester City.
The club’s structure has previously faced criticism for being bloated and stifled by layers of bureaucracy, with some putting the increase in staff size over the years down to priorities being placed on generating revenue rather than achieving on-field success.
Ineos originally came into the club to focus on the football operation, but has seen it’s influence grow into the business wing after the Glazers – who remain the club’s majority owners – essentially outsourced control of the business operation at the club.
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The Glazers are thought to have rubber-stamped the move which will make sweeping changes to the way the Americans previously ran the club – which is thought to be a sign of confidence in Ineos’ plan.
Those impacted by the redundancy scheme will be notified in the coming weeks, while a number of activities deemed to be non-essential will also be stopped.
Only the club’s charity arm, the Manchester United Foundation, will not be hit by the redundancies.
Financial expert Kieran Maguire calculated that making 250 average members of staff at the club on £35,000 a year redundant would only pay for Mason Mount‘s salary for eight months.
Non-football staff were told they had to return to work in offices and offered a voluntary redundancy scheme in May.
The deal was valid until June 5 and would have seen staff receive their annual bonuses if they agreed to walk away, but it had very low take-up.
Man Utd’s staff numbers are way larger than any of their big six rivals.
Liverpool are thought to have around 1,005 employees, Chelsea 788, Tottenham 719, Arsenal 649 and Man City 520, according to the latest figures.
Staff numbers at Man Utd had increased from 1,035 in 2022 and 983 in 2021.
The Premier League’s controversial Profit and Sustainability (PSR) is also said to have played a part in the cuts, with the club’s issues exacerbated by a number of disastrous transfer windows.
As part of the restructure, Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox have joined the club as sporting director and technical director respectively, while Omar Berrada will become their next chief executive.
Last month, the club announced a £50million revamp of the men’s indoor training facilities at their Carrington training complex.
This has seen the women’s team moved into portable training cabins to accommodate the men’s team, who have in turn moved into the purpose-built £10m facility for the women’s team only opened last October.
The men’s teams pre-season starts on July 15 in Norway.
Man Utd pre-season tour schedule
Man Utd 2024 pre-season fixtures
Rosenborg vs Man Utd – Mon, Jul 15. Lerkendol Stadion, Norway
Rangers vs Man Utd – Sat, Jul 20. Murrayfield, Edinburgh
Arsenal vs Man Utd – Sat, Jul 27. SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles
Man Utd vs Real Betis – Wed, Jul 31. Snapdragon Stadium, San Diego
Man Utd vs Liverpool – Sat, Aug 3. William-Brice Stadium, South Carolina
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