Manchester United are set to save approximately £10 million a year after Sir Jim Ratcliffe cut 250 jobs, a move that shocked some employees and led to tears. The redundancies, estimated to save £40,000 per head, are part of Ratcliffe's restructuring drive to make the club more sustainable.
Staff had been aware that up to 300 jobs were under threat, as reported in December. However, when the planned redundancies were announced at an all-staff meeting on Wednesday, many were surprised. The meeting, scheduled for an hour, lasted only 15 minutes and was led by acting chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc, who will step down when Omar Berrada takes over as permanent CEO on 13 July.
Berrada has been on gardening leave since his appointment from Manchester City in January. He 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 contract until 2026 on Thursday after a review that included technical director Jason Wilcox speaking with potential replacements. Despite consideration of replacing the manager, Ten Hag and Ratcliffe's leadership team recognise the need for unity.
United remain interested in signing centre-backs Jarrad Branthwaite and Matthijs de Ligt from Everton and Bayern Munich respectively. However, Victor Lindelöf and Harry Maguire may need to be sold to fund both deals due to financial constraints. Last month, United had a £45 million bid for Branthwaite rejected and will only make a second offer if Everton lower their valuation, thought to be at least £60 million. United believe De Ligt is worth between £40 million and £50 million.
On Friday, UEFA cleared United and Nice, also owned by Ratcliffe, 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 potential conflicts of interest, requiring changes in structure and key demands, including no transfers between the sister clubs and no joint technical or commercial agreements.
