Manchester United have confirmed plans for up to 200 more staff redundancies as part of a restructure they hope will improve the club’s financial sustainability and enhance operational efficiency.
A club statement published on Monday afternoon explained that, in addition to 250 jobs already removed in the previous round of redundancies last summer, another 150-200 roles are vulnerable.
By the end of the consultation process, United’s workforce could be little more than half of what it was only a few months ago, having previously numbered around 1,000.
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Employees have already seen many perks withdrawn in recent months, with the staff canteen at Old Trafford the latest sacrifice to be replaced by free fruit in offices.
The club has also been guilty of wasting substantial funds; in firing Erik ten Hag shortly after extending his contract, paying to break Ruben Amorim out of his Sporting CP contract, and hiring and firing Dan Ashworth.
Meanwhile, the Glazer family’s leveraged buyout continues to be a crushing financial burden, with more than £1bn lost to servicing the enormous debt imposed during the 2005 takeover. Prior to that, Manchester United had been debt-free since the 1930s.
“We have a responsibility to put Manchester United in the strongest position to win across our men’s, women’s and academy teams.
We are initiating a wide-ranging series of measures which will transform and renew the club,” chief executive Omar Berrada said as part of the statement.
“Unfortunately, this means announcing further potential redundancies and we deeply regret the impact on those affected colleagues.
However, these hard choices are necessary to put the club back on a stable financial footing.
We have lost money for the past five consecutive years. This cannot continue. Our two main priorities as a club are delivering success on the pitch for our fans and improving our facilities.
We cannot invest in these objectives if we are continuously losing money.
At the end of this process, we will have a more lean, agile and financially sustainable football club, while continuing to provide a world class service to our valuable commercial partners.
We will then be in a much stronger position to invest in football success and improved facilities for fans, while remaining compliant with UEFA and Premier League regulations.”
