Man Utd: Sir Jim Ratcliffe stuns staff with ‘brutal’ sack of ‘oil in the machine’ as cost-cutting continues

Manchester United staff are “upset” at the “brutal” sacking of the club’s long-serving head of team operations as Ineos continue to cut costs.

A report this week claimed further redundancies are planned, with between 100 and 200 staff now at risk of losing their jobs after co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe signed off on 250 people being shown the door last year.

When Ratcliffe took over United had 1,112 members of staff, significantly more than any other Premier League club, and the British billionaire has given Sir David Brailsford to take drastic steps to reduce their wage bill.

And The Times has now revealed the shock decision to send Jackie Kay packing after almost 30 years at the club.

Kay joined the club in 1995, working initially as executive assistant to former chief executive David Gill, and has been in charge of first-team logistics at the Carrington training ground for over a decade.

But having been promoted to October 2023, just a few months before Ratcliffe and Ineos came in, she’s now been told she’s out of a job, in a decision which hasn’t gone down well.

It’s claimed she has been a ‘hugely popular figure with the players as well as a succession of managers, with one insider describing Kay as “the oil in the machine”, the conduit beyond the manager and the players’.

The report adds:

‘The terms of Kay’s departure have yet to be agreed, but she was informed last week of a decision that is part of a wider performance overhaul under the guidance of the Ineos head of sport, Sir Dave Brailsford, and the technical director, Jason Wilcox. Staff were said to be “upset” by the decision, making the point that Kay had “given her life to the club”.

‘United have declined to comment on the matter but it is understood Kay’s departure is not linked to the news of further redundancies.’

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A report earlier this month revealed Brailsford’s plan for Manchester United to win the Premier League title.

‘Sir Dave Brailsford has unveiled a plan to staff at Manchester United called “Mission 21”, aimed ambitiously at delivering a 21st English league title for the club.

‘Brailsford has been a constant presence since Ratcliffe and Ineos bought a 28 per cent stake in United 12 months ago and his growing influence comes at a time when Ruben Amorim’s team continue to struggle.

‘Amorim remains very much in charge of first-team matters, but Brailsford is now a central figure in driving what United hope is a transformation of the performance culture after years of decline.’

‘Brailsford has drafted this blueprint for United’s future with the assistance of James Morton, a professor of exercise metabolism at Liverpool John Moores University and the head of nutrition and physical performance lead at Team Sky when they were dominating the Tour de France. Morton, who grew up in Belfast, oversaw the nutrition strategy for the riders when they claimed their Tour victories in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

‘Prior to that, Morton actually worked at United’s big rivals, Liverpool. He was the club’s performance nutritionist from 2010 to 2015. He also advises the Premier League in a performance mentoring role.’