Manchester United make changes to tour staff amid sacking process

Manchester United have started informing staff that they are at risk of being made redundant.

Individual meetings were held with staff and departmental members on Tuesday. It is understood some staff members who were due to travel on the pre-season tour of the United States were withdrawn last week because they are at risk.

United’s squad is flying to Los Angeles on Wednesday and around 125 club staff are on the trip. United hosted a 200-strong party on a pre-season tour of the United States when Louis van Gaal was manager nine years ago.

Around 250 staff are set to lose their jobs, but a greater number are at risk as the club prepares to speed up the process in the coming weeks. United declined to comment.

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A cost-cutting review initiated by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe found headcount was not reflected in performance. According to United’s figures, they had 1,112 staff – the highest number in the Premier League – on their monthly payroll, an increase of 129 in two years.

United concluded they needed “significant transformation” to deal with new regulations and financial challenges amid rising costs.

The Ineos Group of which Ratcliffe is chairman has identified savings and activities deemed “non-essential”.

Staff morale has plummeted since the £1.25bn Ratcliffe investment was completed in February. An email from Ratcliffe earlier this year ordered staff to end their work-from-home privilege and return to work at Old Trafford or the club’s Carrington training complex.

A long-time club employee said after the job cuts were announced in early July: “Nobody knows (who will be made redundant) yet. It’s really sad.”

Another club employee said: “If you have to save money, maybe look at the dividends the owners have put out.” United stopped paying dividends to the club’s owners, the Glazer family, in 2023.