Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s latest round of job cuts is set to affect very senior Manchester United employees after 200 further members of staff discovered they are in danger of being axed.
Confidential understands some management staff – including one recently promoted to the senior leadership team – learned their fate last week, and other employees have been told in the last 48 hours that they are at risk.
We have been told of one decades-long-serving employee who is set to lose their job, a well-respected figure across the industry who brings huge value and experience. Club sources say this employee losing their job remains a provisional decision and subject to a challenge by staff representatives.
But there have been concerns at United for some time that the savage redundancy programme under Ratcliffe, often focusing on more established members of staff, is in danger of tearing the heart and soul out of the club.
A total of 450 employees – more than a third of the original workforce – have lost their jobs since the Ineos billionaire took over the day-to-day running of the club last year.
Ratcliffe warned last month that United were in danger of going bust by Christmas if he did not take action to stop the club losing money.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe warned fans last month that United were in danger of going bust by Christmas
United’s new ownership group has faced huge protests this season after a series of job cuts
The scouting department has been hit particularly hard, and last week it emerged director of scouting Steve Brown is leaving after nine years at United. Other departures are set to become clear over the coming days.
Neom no-go for Onana
Talk of Andre Onana leaving United for Saudi Pro League newcomers Neom this summer would appear to be premature.
Although the interest from Neom – who won promotion to the SPL last week – is genuine, the Tabuk-based club would face competition from a number of teams in Europe if United sell the Cameroon goalkeeper two years after signing him from Inter Milan for £47.2million.
However, Confidential understands Ruben Amorim has prioritised other positions he wants to strengthen in the transfer window, and Onana is determined to make a success of his Old Trafford career after another up-and-down season.
Andre Onana is set to stay and try to make a success of his United career under Ruben Amorim
Tom could stay on
Have we been too hasty in writing off Tom Heaton’s Old Trafford career?
It has been widely accepted the veteran goalkeeper will leave United as a free agent at the end of June, and Confidential revealed earlier this month that Heaton could be offered a coaching role at the club if he hangs up his gloves.
But now it is understood the 39-year-old is in talks over signing a 12-month contract extension to remain United’s third-choice keeper. With No 2 Altay Bayindir expected to leave this summer in search of regular first-team football, and no guarantees over Onana’s future, it is not surprising United are tempted to lean on Heaton’s experience for one more season.
That would mean the former England and Aston Villa keeper, who was the back-up option for Onana on the bench at Bournemouth on Sunday, staying in the Premier League at the age of 40.
Rashford agent’s City visit
Spotted at the Etihad for Manchester City’s win over Aston Villa last week, Marcus Rashford’s brother and agent, Dwaine Maynard, was a conspicuous figure in the directors’ box.
Maynard was sat near City’s director of football Txiki Begiristain and his replacement Hugo Viana as Rashford equalised for Villa from the penalty spot, before Matheus Nunes snatched a late winner for the home side.
Rashford has made it clear he wants to join a Champions League club if Villa don’t make his loan from United permanent in a £40m deal, and he is reluctant to move to London.
Could that open the door to a sensational crosstown move to the Etihad? There is nothing at this stage to suggest the boyhood Red would consider signing for City, that Rashford is likely to figure in Pep Guardiola’s summer rebuild or that United would entertain the thought of selling him to their neighbours. But if Marcus Rashford to Manchester City were to happen, you heard it here first.
Dalot wants to do a Diallo
Wing back Diogo Dalot is hopeful of returning from a calf injury before the end of this season
Amad Diallo may not be the only United player to return from injury sooner than expected in the final weeks of the campaign.
Diallo’s season looked to be over when he needed surgery in February to repair damaged ankle ligaments after suffering an injury in training. However, the popular Ivorian is set to return to first-team training this week with a chance of featuring in the second leg of United’s Europa League semi-final with Athletic Bilbao next week.
Now Confidential understands Diogo Dalot could also feature again if United reach the final on May 21. It had been feared Dalot wouldn’t play again his season after he missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth with a calf injury.
The Portugal defender tried to manage the problem after feeling discomfort in his calf during the Europa League quarter-final win over Lyon. Dalot dropped to the bench when United faced Wolves at Old Trafford three days later and came on in the 59th minute.
However, the problem grew worse and Ruben Amorim feared Dalot’s season could be over before the trip to Bournemouth. ‘There is that possibility, but I don’t know,’ said the United boss. ‘We will check week-by-week because he works really hard. He can recover quite well, we’ll see.’
River bank on Reds target
River Plate are working to tie Franco Mastantuono to a new contract as United and a number of big European clubs continue to track the teen star’s progress in Argentina.
United scouts have been regular observers of Mastantuono, but Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping a close eye on the 17-year-old midfielder who is regarded as one of the hottest young prospects in the game.
Mastantuono scored a stunning 30-yard free-kick in River’s Superclasico victory over Boca Juniors on Sunday, and his star continues to rise.
River Plate’s 17-year-old Franco Mastantuono is one of the hottest prospects in world football
Mastantuono scored a stunning 30-yard free-kick in River’s win over Boca Juniors on Sunday
River are resigned to the fact they will sell Mastantuono at some stage but are trying to protect their asset by persuading him to agree new terms.
The youngster’s current contract, which runs until December 2026, has a buyout clause of £38.3m.
Marathon man Garnacho
Few players in a United shirt have come in for as much criticism as Alejandro Garnacho, but only Casemiro (53) has been involved in more matchday squads than the young Argentina winger (52) this season.
Nobody has played in more games (52) than Garnacho, though, and only captain Bruno Fernandes has produced more goals and assists in this difficult campaign.
Worth factoring in, too, that the 20-year-old started just three of the first nine games under Ruben Amorim but then started 12 of the next 14, coming off the bench in the other two.
After a falling-out that saw him left out of the squad for December’s Manchester derby, Garnacho has won Amorim round and shown himself to be a marathon man his manager can depend on.
Garnacho still has plenty of room for improvement – and his future remains unclear amid interest from Napoli and Chelsea – but nobody can doubt his commitment to the cause with the minutes he is racking up for a player so young.
Cole helps fill £40k hole
Last week’s dinner in honour of Andy Cole has gone a long way to filling the £40,000 black hole left by Ineos’ decision to cut funding for the Association of Former Manchester United Players (AFMUP).
Gary Neville challenged Ratcliffe last month over his decision to cut funding for former players
Gary Neville challenged Sir Jim Ratcliffe over the ‘cruel decision’ when he interviewed United’s co-owner last month, and said the support for United players of the 60s and 70s could instead come from holding fundraisers with some of the club’s modern-day stars.
‘Well, nobody suggested that,’ admitted Ratcliffe at the time.
The tribute night for Cole was hosted by AFMUP in the Manchester Suite at Old Trafford last Thursday to mark the association’s 40th anniversary.
Sir Alex Ferguson and a host of former players turned out for the event which saw United defender Jonny Evans appear on stage with Cole and Neville for a Q&A session. Ferguson then joined them as Cole was presented with an award from AFMUP.
United chief executive Omar Berrada, director David Gill and honorary president Martin Edwards were also in attendance.
As well as the ticket proceeds from 300 guests who paid £150-a-head, an auction raised thousands more for AFMUP and charities the group supports.
United on Basque behaviour
United are trying to be respectful of political and cultural sensitivities in Bilbao as they return to the Basque Country for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final first leg at the San Mames Stadium.
Opponents Athletic Bilbao are known for only signing players who were born or brought up in the northern region of the country, and many of the inhabitants want autonomy from Spain.
Athletic Bilbao’s squad is built solely from players born or brought up in the Basque Country
United’s players have been advised to call their opponents Athletic Club as a mark of respect
The Basque language is very different from Spanish, and when United played their neighbours Real Sociedad in the last 16 earlier this season, a section of the press conference was reserved for Basque-only questions.
United’s players have been advised to refer to their opponents as Athletic Club rather than Athletic Bilbao as a mark of respect, and the club will try to observe local traditions where possible.
UEFA have final say
As United prepare to fly to their base in Bilbao after training at Carrington on Wednesday morning, it begs the question whether they have booked the same hotel and facilities for the final which is also being staged at the San Mames on May 21.
Although it would seem a common sense move, teams who planned ahead for the final before playing their semi-final have been accused of arrogance in the past.
Confidential has found out the answer. It turns out UEFA will designate the hotels and training facilities for the two finalists next month, so the clubs won’t have any say in the matter.
It means Athletic face the prospect of being told where to stay in their own city if they beat Amorim’s side.
Ruben’s a Cherry picker
One of the reasons Ruben Amorim picked such a strong line-up at the Vitality Stadium on Sunday was because Bournemouth play a similar style and formation to Thursday’s Europa League opponents.
Cherries boss Andoni Iraola, who comes from the Basque region and played 510 times for his hometown club as a dependable right back, uses the same 4-2-3-1 system and high-intensity approach favoured by Athletic coach Ernesto Valverde.
Andoni Iraola captained the Athletic side that knocked United out of the Europa League in 2012
Bournemouth boss Iraola played under Marcelo Bielsa in Bilbao, making 510 appearances there
Athletic’s current head coach Ernesto Valverde (right) was in charge of Barcelona when they knocked United out of the Champions League quarter-finals 4-0 on aggregate in April 2019
However, United captain Bruno Fernandes isn’t drawing too many comparisons between the two games.
‘We can’t be thinking in playing the game against Bournemouth, a team that is very offensive and very strong on the counter-press, that we’re going to play against Athletic on Thursday,’ says Fernandes. ‘We need to be aware it’s going to be a completely different game.’
Valverde is in his third spell as manager at Athletic, having played for the club for six years and served as assistant manager. The 61-year-old was in charge of Barcelona when a Lionel Messi-inspired team knocked United out of the Champions League quarter-finals 4-0 on aggregate in 2019.
Luke Shaw, Victor Lindelof and Diogo Dalot are the only remaining members of the United squad from that tie.
United will be looking for a different outcome from their last meeting with Athletic, when they were beaten home and away by a side managed by Marcelo Bielsa, captained by Iraola and featuring a young Ander Herrera. That side went on to make the final after beating Sir Alex Ferguson’s side in the Europa League last 16 in 2012, losing 3-0 to Atletico Madrid in the showpiece.
The second leg is at Old Trafford next week and Amorim could pick a much-changed team at Brentford on Sunday to protect his players between the two semi-final games.
Dangerman Nico’s £400k demand
United won’t need reminding that the man to watch in Thursday’s first leg is Nico Williams, the Athletic winger who scored the opening goal when Spain beat England in last summer’s Euro 2024 final.
Williams came off the bench against Las Palmas last week after missing the previous game against Real Madrid with a groin injury, and is expected to play some part against United.
Nico Williams scored the opener when Spain beat England in last summer’s Euro 2024 final
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs showing an interest in the 22-year-old Athletic star
Arsenal and Chelsea are among the clubs showing an interest in the 22-year-old, but Confidential understands Williams’ representatives are demanding more than £400,000 a week in wages for the forward if he moves this summer.
It is possible he could sign a new contract with Athletic which would include a revised release clause. Either way, with the transfer window approaching Williams has an added incentive to beat United on Thursday.
Crackdown on fake accounts
One of the biggest frustrations behind the scenes at United these days is the number of fake profiles popping up on various social media pages.
Confidential reported earlier in the season that the club had been taking decisive action to get fake pages taken down, with academy players and women’s team players targeted more and more.
It is understood the club recently managed to close down an account impersonating Tyler Fletcher, but more are popping up and it is becoming a real headache. We have been shown fake accounts in recent weeks for Ayden Heaven and Jack Moorhouse, both on TikTok.
United are eager to help players verify their official pages – Sekou Kone and Chido Obi have authentic TikTok accounts – but the process is said to be more complicated there than on Instagram, where verification is relatively straightforward.
X, formerly Twitter, recently changed their policy meaning accounts now need to identify themselves as parody or fan accounts or risk being banned.
But with other social media sites becoming a real nuisance – particularly to academy players – the club are eager to take the strongest possible action against impersonators.
Rovers open door for Gore
Blackburn Rovers may offer Dan Gore the opportunity to continue his career away from United
Blackburn could offer Dan Gore the opportunity to begin the next stage of his career away from United.
A member of United’s 2022 FA Youth Cup-winning team, Gore is expected to leave United at the end of the season seven years after joining the academy from Burnley.
Blackburn are one of the clubs showing an interest in the 20-year-old midfielder, who made two first-team appearances off the bench under Erik ten Hag.
After a loan spell at Port Vale last season, Gore joined Rotherham in January but only played one game before suffering a stress fracture in his foot. He returned to training at Carrington last week before rejoining Rotherham and coming on as a 67th-minute substitute in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Stevenage.
Hammer time for Under 21s
United’s Under 21s kept their season alive by beating Everton in the Premier League 2 play-offs in recent days, setting up a quarter-final against West Ham.
Travis Binnion’s side made hard work of it after going behind after 37 seconds against Everton, but Ethan Wheatley – who returned to feature despite remaining on loan at League Two Walsall – scored twice in a 4-2 win.
United are on a collision course with Manchester City, the PL2 table-toppers who will expect to get past Arsenal in their quarter-final.
The quarters are due to take place between May 2 and May 5, with United hosting West Ham in the last eight.
Ethan Wheatley scored twice for United’s Under 21s last week, despite being on loan at Walsall
Women shoot for Sevens
United’s women are among the first four teams announced for the inaugural World Sevens Football tournament in Estoril, Portugal next month.
Eight teams will take part in the event at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota between May 21-23. AFC Ajax Vrouwen, FC Bayern Women, Sport Lisboa e Benfica are the other clubs to be confirmed so far.
The W7F will be shown on DAZN with a total prize pot of £3.7m. United Women head coach Marc Skinner said: ‘This is a really exciting opportunity to be part of something new for the women’s game.
‘Our only focus now is on finishing the domestic season as strongly as possible in the Women’s Super League and FA Cup, then we can travel to Portugal to enjoy what promises to be an entertaining three days of fast, fun, seven-a-side football.’
