Manchester United are in the process of even more job cuts amid their difficult financial position having already let go of 250 staff last year - with the club now moving to the next phase of terminations
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Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Manchester United chiefs have started informing staff they have lost their jobs after the team's Europa League final defeat
(Image: Michael Regan - UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)
Manchester United have began to tell staff they have lost their jobs - just days after the club's agonising Europa League final defeat against Tottenham on Wednesday night. Ruben Amorim's men fell short in Bilbao as Brennan Johnson's scrappy goal secured a 1-0 win for Spurs and helped them end their 17-year wait for a trophy.
United's defeat meant they won't be playing in the Champions League next season and have missed out on a £100million windfall in the process, another big blow for the club and their perilous financial situation.
United staff were already told in February that 200 jobs were at risk, following 250 job cuts last year. Now, according to the Daily Mail, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his club chiefs have decided to inform some of those employees about their fate this week rather than let the disappointment of losing the final subside.
It's claimed there has been some "surprise" at the club over the timing of the move considering the pain of losing the final is still so fresh.
But after missing out on the lucrative prize that the trophy win would have guaranteed, the club are now desperate to save as much money as possible as they continue their bid towards profitability.
READ MORE: Details of massive Bruno Fernandes transfer offer as Man Utd left with dilemmaREAD MORE: Tottenham stars think they know Ange Postecoglou's fate after Europa League triumph
Ratcliffe revealed that United were on course to be broke by Christmas if they did not introduce their brutal cost-cutting measures.
These have included scrapping free lunches for staff in the canteen, upping ticket prices, slashing concessions and removing Sir Alex Ferguson from his £2m-a-year ambassadorial role.
The report also adds that "morale is low" at Old Trafford, especially after the departures of popular and long-serving staff members, with Ratcliffe earning the unwanted nickname 'The Jim Reaper'. The British billionaire insisted these were difficult yet necessary changes to bring success back to United.
Ruben Amorim.
United have decided to act now rather than wait for the pain of losing the final to subside
He said: "I know it's unpopular, and this period of change is uncomfortable for people, and some of the decisions we have to make are unpleasant. But they are necessary to put Manchester United back onto a stable footing. If people want to see Manchester United winning trophies again then we have to do all this stuff.
"We are in the process of change and it's an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans. The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things."
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