Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly preparing to slash up to 25 per cent of Manchester United’s workforce in a brutal reshaping of the club’s operations at the dawn of his rebuild. The INEOS founder has inherited a significant level of control at Old Trafford after securing a 27.7 per cent stake through his £1.3billion investment last month.
United possess the largest number of employees by a considerable distance in the Premier League, with almost 1200 individuals on the club’s books.
Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City – all in a class of their own this season – have fewer than 1000 members of staff.
Ratcliffe and INEOS have grown a reputation for focusing on quality over quantity by stripping companies down once they own them.
And it looks set to be no different at United, with hundreds now reportedly fearing for their jobs at the start of the club’s new era.
According to the Mirror, Ratcliffe plans to axe up to a quarter of the current staff numbers in M16, which would total around 300 dismissals.
The 71-year-old is said to be keen to make savings on United’s overstaffed departments, one of the issues he believes he has inherited.
He will reportedly recruit one of the world’s leading consultants to support the planned shake-up of the football operation at Old Trafford.
And it’s claimed the Glazer family agree with his stance that United would benefit from becoming more streamlined after a decade of underperformance.
The report adds that Ratcliffe wants the review to primarily focus on United’s commercial, merchandising, and match-day departments.
He is said to believe that a thinner workforce improves accountability, responsibility and creative ideas, as has been the case with rivals City, in particular, in recent years.
Ratcliffe has wasted no time changing the shape of United’s operations by appointing City’s Omar Berrada as the club’s new chief executive, replacing Richard Arnold.
Dan Ashworth also looks set to become sporting director after Newcastle United placed him on gardening leave due to his desire to join the project.
The Red Devils reportedly plan to add a technical director and performance director to make up a four-person team near the top of the club’s football structure.
Southampton’s Jason Wilcox – who worked with Berrada at City – appears to be the primary name in the frame for the former. At the same time, it’s unclear who the preferred performance director candidate currently is.
