MANCHESTER UNITED staff piled into a suite at Old Trafford with pie and chips on Monday to be told that they could lose their jobs in the coming months.
United announced this week that as many as 200 staff members will lose their jobs in a second wave of cost-cutting since the arrival of Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
Employees at the Theatre of Dreams were reportedly left emotional after being informed of the incoming staff culling to save cash for the underachieving club.
According to The Mail, United’s chief executive Omar Berrada apologised to staff at the meeting as he informed them of their anxious wait to learn their fate in April.
It’s said that pies, chips and jugs of water with plastic cups were laid out by the 20-time English champions for the grim meeting.
It was already revealed in the past week that United will be stopping free lunches for staff at Old Trafford, instead offering them fruit.
While those working at Carrington will lose access to the same menu as the players for their lunches from next season, instead being offered soup and sandwiches.
It’s reported that the meeting saw Berrada hammer home the importance of making Man Utd profitable once again, following five years of losses.
While he also discussed United’s ‘Project 150’ – a plan to make the club Premier League champions again by 2028.
The Red Devils, who are currently 15th in the league, published financial results last week that showed the club owe £391m in transfer fees and have seen interest costs since the Glazer family took over in 2005 top £1billion.
It was also revealed that United had spent a combined £14.5m to sack Erik ten Hag and his staff and let go of sporting director Dan Ashworth.
The new wave of cost-cutting comes after penny pinching measures have been taken up and down the club since the arrival of Ratcliffe and Ineos.
[bc_video account_id=”5067014667001″ application_id=”” aspect_ratio=”16:9″ autoplay=”” caption=”Fury as Sir Jim Ratcliffe cuts ties with charity helping Man Utd legends” embed=”in-page” experience_id=”” height=”100%” language_detection=”” max_height=”360px” max_width=”640px” min_width=”0px” mute=”” padding_top=”56%” picture_in_picture=”” player_id=”default” playlist_id=”” playsinline=”” sizing=”responsive” video_id=”6366488871112″ video_ids=”” width=”640px”]The incredible measures have seen the scrapping of stewards’ bonuses, 250 job cuts last summer, cancelled Christmas parties, cuts to funding donation for former player’s charity and the end of Sir Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role with the club.
The club is enduring its worst season on the pitch since they were relegated in the 1970s and every position lower they go costs them £4m in prize money.
Despite cuts all over the club, first team players are still earning unfathomable amounts.
Both Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro are understood to be pocketing in excess of £300,000-per-week, while the squad’s average salary is almost £115,000-per-week.
A damning statement from the Man Utd Supporters Trust (MUST) following the publication of the second quarter financial results said: “Today’s financial results lay bare the scale of the financial mismanagement we have seen at Manchester United…
“Fans should not pay the price for a problem that starts with our crippling debt interest payments and is exacerbated by a decade or more of mismanagement.
“It’s time to freeze ticket prices and allow everyone – players, management, owners and fans – to get behind United and restore this club to where it belongs.”