How the latest announcement of Manchester United’s work cuts will develop and what happens next

About half an hour before Manchester United announced, as the club describes its “transformation plan”, the employees in Old Traffords Manchester Suite largely know what is to be expected.

The meeting was short, only between 20 minutes and half an hour and was led by Omar Berrada. The managing director of United confirmed this as The athlete The club was reported at the beginning of this month and would carry out another round of discharge.

In addition to Berrada, the CFO Roger Bell also spoke shortly before Annie Hale, the club’s human resource manager. And as with the announcement of the first round of 250 job cuts last summer, the room remained largely calm, the atmosphere understandably sober. Ruben Amorim and his employees were not among the quantity, but the head coach of the women’s team, Marc Skinner and members of his Backroom team were present.

The subdued reaction could have been different if the estimated number of job losses during the meeting itself had been disclosed by Berrada. The confirmation that between 150 and 200 roles are at risk will only be followed later by e -mail.

Many present were surprised by the tone of the procedure, whereby mentions of overcoming obstacles and memories of triumphing about adversity were mentioned if some of these present are unable to counter the challenges of the future.

BERRADA, Managing Director of United, headed the call (Photo: Ash Donelon/Manchester United about Getty Images).

The employees were informed that the club would publish an explanation in the interest of transparency. Shortly after the meeting ended, a push notification was sent to the users of the official app of United, in which the “transformation plan” was announced, and measures to “improve the financial sustainability of the club and to improve operational efficiency”.

Before that, it had offered confidentiality that, among other things, mocked some employees that they could be observed on the recording or reporting about what was said. Those in the United office of United’s London office jointly pursued events in Old Trafford on a large screen, since no video conference links were sent to counteract leaks.

Details on the other cost reduction measures in the “Transformation Plan” of the club had already slipped, mainly the changes to the provision of food by the club for employees. Free hot meals for Old Trafford employees end and are replaced by fruit bowls, with the canteen being closed.

In Carrington, the players of men, women and academy are still entitled to free hot meals, but as soon as the renovation work at the main building of the training location is complete, the catering is separated and significantly reduced.

Nothing will change for the captains Bruno Fernandes, Maya Le Tissier and her teammates, but coaches, physios, analysts and other employees will take part in soup and a role.

Skinner, on the right, was present at the meeting, but Ashworth has already left (Charlotte Tattersall – Mufc/Manchester United about Getty Images)

United estimates that the end of free lunch at Old Trafford alone will save more than 1 million GBP ($ 1.3 million) per year, but predicted for predictable, which was determined at a time after the knowledge that the club did not trigger 14.5 million GBP for the outputs of a former manager and sports director.

Although it is easily passed on as small and insignificant, such advantages have long been estimated by United employees. Some in the club feel the prestige to work for United, conversely to a lower payment, as if they are grateful that they work for such a famous club. Advantages such as free meals have contributed to fixing this balance.

Nevertheless, it is the redundancy program – the second that was announced within just seven months – that will have the greatest influence.

After reporting further reduction at the beginning of this month, United informed employees in the company -wide newsletter Redlines that they examine each option to increase the income and reduce costs on a Friday evening, whereby the discussions about the implementation of the correct structure must be continued.

Some employees believed that the time of this recording meant that colleagues could not notice it at the weekend in their inboxes. Others expected the email to stamp a new appointment for rubber stamps. When the news about Marc Armstrong became Chief Business Officer of the club. Instead, many confirmed that their positions could be at risk.

In this sense, there was a parallel to the last round of job cuts, which as Dan Ashworth officially started as a sports director.

Ashworth only lasted five months at the head of the United football department, which is expected to suffer the most from this next series of layoffs, but not before a disagreement with minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe about whether such reductions were necessary.

Ratcliffe asked Ashworth to take cuts with United’s football operations, only so that the former managing director of Newcastle United no longer waived the employees in his department.

However, these cuts could not be postponed indefinitely, and although these measures are justified in the explanation of United as a way to “football success”, there is a 50-50 division between the football department and the rest of the association. The redundancy process is expected to be carried out in the next three months.

The results on the field of United have also damaged their financial reputation (Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images).

The presence of United in London with an office of mostly non-football employees based in Kensington is restored. The results of the results in the second quarter last week brought the effects of the new sponsorship of front-of-shirt sponsorship with the Snapdragon brand from Qualcomm by an increase in commercial income by 18 percent.

In contrast to United’s deal with the KIT supplier Adidas, the Qualcomm sponsoring does not contain a criminal clause that has not qualified for the Champions League. But several important figures in the department that delivered this deal have left during the era led by Ineos.

A single, cherry -accused figure cannot mask the undeniable gloomy financial image as a whole, whereby United has now exposed to a total of £ 373 million for five years. Such numbers are the reason why some sources emphasize that drastic effect is required.

At the end of last season, the average number of monthly employees of United was 1,140-die largest workforce of a single Premier League club, although Liverpool recorded 1,008 employees at the end of the 2022-238 campaign. Up to 450 of these roles at United could no longer be at the time of the next count.

This section of the section would reconcile the club with its amount of personnel again more than a decade ago, with 696 employees at the end of the 2011/12 season.

For comparison: Arsenal had 723 employees at the end of the 2022-23 season, and the united cuts will probably bring you into this number. Ratcliffe does not believe that United’s staff level should be significantly higher than that of its competitors.

The strict approach of ratcliffe that compensate for books is criticized, but the situation of United is also a legacy of the Leveraged Buyout of the Glaz family in 2005, which has since filled the club with high payments with high payments so as not to forget the dividend payments until a few years ago.

There must also be recognition that the problems of United from the pitch partly represent a product of problems-especially by players and managers signed and appointed by managers under-fires.

At the session on Monday it was mentioned that the costs and savings associated with these measures were calculated under the assumption that United is qualified for the Europa League for the next four years. But in view of the Amorim team, which was currently only out of the difference in the goal in the Premier League table, this threw an obvious question: What if they are not?

The qualification for the Europa League in the next season is almost certain that United wins the FA Cup, as last season. The return to the Champions League depends on the triumph in the Europa League.

The not -tu -NOT would only create an even deeper hole than the one for which the club currently makes up. And if clubs are in such a situation, it is without exception the one -time file that is forced to pay the price.

Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell

(Upper picture: Illustration: Will Tullos for The athletePictures: Getty Images)