Man Utd staff discovered brutal Sir Jim Ratcliffe axe at Denis Law’s funeral

Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is expected to orchestrate another round of job cuts to help streamline costs at Old Trafford and provide manager Ruben Amorim with more transfer funds

A number of Manchester United employees learned about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s plans to cut up to 200 more jobs at Old Trafford while they were at Denis Law’s funeral.

United staff honoured the life of their legendary former striker earlier this month following his passing aged 84. Law spent 11 years playing for the Red Devils and was part of the iconic team which won the 1968 European Cup.

His death came just prior to reports that part-owner Ratcliffe was planning to make further redundancies as part of the British billionaire’s ongoing cost-cutting exercise. Although no figure has been specified, United insiders anticipate between 100 and 200 jobs disappearing. The club declined to comment the reports when contacted by Mirror Football.

Ratcliffe, who boasts a 28.94 per cent stake in the Premier League giants through his petrochemicals company, INEOS, made plans last year to make 250 staff – roughly a quarter of the club’s workforce – redundant in an effort to balance the books at Old Trafford.

According to the Mail, some United staff learned of the bombshell news about further cuts at Law’s funeral in Manchester.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and chief operating officer Collette Roche attended the memorial service at Manchester Cathedral, unlike Ratcliffe, but neither were present at the wake. It’s added that in an awkward development, both events had been organised by former members of staff who’d been laid off by the club in 2024.

United are set to gather their employees at a briefing at 2:30pm on Monday to update them on the possibility of more redundancies, plans which have already prompted criticism of Ratcliffe. The move coincides with Marc Amstrong’s first day as their new chief business officer following his arrival from Paris Saint-Germain.

Is Sir Jim Ratcliffe making the right decision? Have your say in the comments section.

Ratcliffe’s latest round of cuts are reportedly said to have the aim of providing United manager Ruben Amorim with additional transfer funds, having only made one senior signing during the winter transfer window. The Red Devils currently languish 15th in the Premier League table and are on course for their worst top-flight season since being infamously relegated in 1973-74.

Off the pitch, United have lost £300million over the past three years under their majority owners, the Glazer family. In October 2024, Ratcliffe made the controversial decision to let legendary ex-boss Sir Alex Ferguson’s contract as an ambassador expire, saving the club an estimated £2.16m.

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