Bruno protests staff coach fee
Most of Ratcliffe’s biggest budget cuts would come in the offseason, but his practice of making cuts wherever possible started very early and in a striking way.
After Man Utd qualified for the FA Cup Final against Man City in May, the club revoked long-held perks from many of its key staff members.
Instead of offering the traditional benefit of a free ticket to the game, travel to Wembley, food, and accommodation, Man Utd offered its staff the chance to spend £20 for a coach trip to London.
The Athletic says Fernandes was so upset by this decision that he offered to pay for all the usual perks out of his own pocket.
Man Utd denied their captain’s request, saying that it would make Ratcliffe and the new ownership look bad.
Ratcliffe defends cuts
Prior to The Athletic’s bombshell report into Man Utd’s budget cuts, Ratcliffe defended his decision to raise ticket prices and other cost cutting efforts.
In an interview with the United We Stand magazine, he said: “Manchester United has become mediocre. It is supposed to be one of the best football clubs in the world. We have to make some difficult and unpopular decisions.
“If you shy away from the difficult decisions, then nothing much is going to change. I know we get criticism in the press but we do need to challenge the cost of running this club because what I want to be free for us to do is buy really good footballers, not spend so much of the money on infrastructure.
“We can't run a business at a loss, which is where United have been in the last couple of years. If you are losing money you have to borrow from the bank to pay for the losses. Eventually that becomes unsustainable.
“I don't want to end up in a position where the genuine local fans can't afford to come but I do want to optimise the ticketing. We need to find a balance - and you can't be popular all the time either.
“ I don't think it makes sense for a Manchester United ticket to cost less than a ticket to see Fulham.”
Fernandes linked to move away
This report comes after months of speculation that Bruno Fernandes will leave Manchester United.
The Portuguese international was linked to practically every big club under the sun and most soccer betting sites even started offering wagers on his next team.
‘Any Saudi Pro League Club’ typically led the sports betting odds lists, with Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al Nassr especially a strong contender to sign Fernandes.
Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and Inter Milan were also strongly linked. It’s unclear if any of these teams will be willing to sign him next season.
Conclusion
Fernandes is clearly Man Utd’s best player right now. However, if Sir Jim Ratcliffe is so set on doing anything to raise money right now, selling his club captain would be a good way to do just that.
