Ruben Amorim has said he and the first team “cannot ignore” job cuts at Manchester United and that it is their “responsibility” to improve results to help staff and prevent ticket price hikes.
United made 250 employees redundant over the summer as part of cost-cutting measures from part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and sources have told ESPN that they are considering making further cuts.
The Premier League giants have reported losses of £300m over the last three years and their financial situation has not been helped by on-pitch performance, with United failing to make the Champions League places last season. This year, under Erik ten Hag and now Amorim, has been even worse and the club are languishing in 14th in the league ahead of Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur.
Amorim has acknowledged that he, and his players, must shoulder the blame.
“I think it’s really important for us in the first team, coaches and players, to not ignore that,” Amorim said of the job losses.
“People are losing their jobs so we have to acknowledge that the biggest problem is the football team. We spend the money. We are not winning. We are not in the Champions League so the revenues are not the same. We spent a lot of money in the past and now we have to be careful with the finances so cannot rebuild the team the way we would like.
“People are losing their jobs and, of course, have that feeling of not being safe in their job. It’s hard to have that feeling so it affects the environment. We cannot ignore it, we acknowledge that problem.
“I want to say the responsibility is the first team and we have to change that.”
Other cost-cutting measures introduced under Ratcliffe include raising ticket prices in an effort to increase revenues, and Amorim added: “To change that, the first thing we should do is win at Tottenham. That is a small step to try to help these people, to try to not push prices of tickets higher. We are responsible for that.”
In January, the club wrote to fan groups to explain what they called “difficult choices.”
“If we do not act now, we are in danger of failing to comply with PSR/FFP requirements,” United said in the letter.
“We are currently making a significant loss each year totalling over £300m in the past three years. This is not sustainable.
“We will have to make some difficult choices. That has included a significant reduction to our workforce as well as cuts across many areas of spend across our club.”
>
