Manchester United make tour staff changes amid redundancy process

Manchester United have started to inform members of staff that they are at risk of redundancy.

Individual meetings were held with members of staff and departments on Tuesday. It is understood some staff who were due to travel on the pre-season tour of the United States were withdrawn last week as they are at risk.

The United squad fly to Los Angeles on Wednesday and around 125 club employees are on the trip. United took a 200-strong party on a pre-season tour of the States when Louis van Gaal was manager nine years ago.

Around 250 staff are due to lose their jobs but a larger number are at risk as the club prepares to accelerate the process in the coming weeks. United declined to comment.

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A cost-cutting review initiated by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe found that the employee count was not reflected in performance. According to United’s accounts, they had 1,112 employees - the highest count in the Premier League - on their monthly payroll, which was an increase of 129 over two years.

United concluded they need “significant transformation” to meet new financial regulations and challenges amid rising costs.

The Ineos Group that Ratcliffe is chairman of has identified savings and activities deemed “non-essential”.

Morale among staff has plummeted since Ratcliffe’s £1.25billion investment was finalised in February. An email from Ratcliffe earlier this year ordered staff to end their work-from-home privilege and return to work at Old Trafford or the club’s Carrington training complex.

A time-served club employee said after the announcement of the job cuts in early July: “No one knows yet