I was at Man Utd for 12 years – mass redundancies show just how much club has changed

Former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen has questioned Ineos' swathe of mass redundancies at the club.

It quickly became apparent that cost-cutting was on the agenda after the minority takeover by Sir Jim Ratcliffe was completed. Earlier this month, interim chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc informed staff of their plan to cull a further 250 jobs before the start of the season.

That's nearly a quarter of the current workforce, which has been the largest in the Premier League. Meulensteen was right-hand man to Sir Alex Ferguson when the side were backing that up on the pitch in, and he feels it's a clear sign they've lost their identity in the decade-plus since.

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Speaking exclusively to the MEN via FreeBets, the 60-year-old - who worked his way through the coaching ranks with the Red Devils during a 12-year stay - recalled: "It was just a big, big family. It was a massive club that was growing year on, year on, with the greatest manager that England has ever seen at the head of it.

"It never lost its warmth. If I had people over to visit and they watched training, they were all in awe at how wonderful it was, and how welcoming everyone was, and how friendly it all was. That apparently has all gone out the window. You hear that so many people have lost their jobs.

"Sir Alex was there 26 years and had people who had been with him for 20 years, 22 years, 23 years. They were all there for a long time and I imagine now there'll be people who will have to leave their jobs after being with the club for a long