Manchester United are set to cut up to 250 jobs across all departments, reducing the club’s workforce by a quarter as part of cost-saving and streamlining exercises.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is a minority shareholder with a 27.7% stake and in charge of sporting operations, but his influence already seems to be more far reaching. The billionaire made headlines in May when he demanded the end of a flexible working-from-home policy for all non-football staff.

Ratcliffe’s brash approach had informed staff to “seek alternatives employment” if they weren’t happy with the new initiative and people were later given just a week to decide if they still wished to work for the club when a ‘voluntary resignation’ programme was offered.

The Athletic has reported that it had “very low take-up”. Instead, redundancies are now expected to come, with Ratcliffe’s new hierarchy advised to make cut by consultancy firm Interpath Advisory. Interim chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc is said to have informed staff on Wednesday about the imminent cull, which is expected to be done before the 2024/25 season begins.

Staff at the Manchester United Foundation, the club’s charitable arm, are safe. But with 1,112 employees on the books, “all department and levels within the club” are set to be affected.

Sky Sports writes that a “formal process” will now begin, seeing redundancies proposed and staff consulted. It is thought to have been considered the best way to achieve a “long-term sustainable solution” that will ultimately help deliver success on the football pitch.

It is suggested that United currently employ more people than necessary to deliver what is expected, with the club aiming to become “lean and agile”.

As a point of reference, crosstown rivals and reigning Premier League champions Manchester City have just 520 staff. But United’s cost-cutting will still result in normal working people being put out of work and football finance expert Kieran Maguire highlighted that cutting 250 staff on an average salary of £35,000 would pay injury-plagued Mason Mount‘s wages for just eight months.