450 layoffs! BBC: Manchester United s data analysis ranks among the top, reverses huge losses and is expected to achieve profitability

BBC reported that Manchester United has ushered in major changes and has laid off 450 people, and its senior management has also been reorganized.

On Christmas Eve in 2023, Sir Ratcliffe acquired 27.7% of Manchester United's shares for 1.25 billion pounds and vowed to bring the club back to the top of English football. He also hopes to make the club profitable. As of June 30, 2024, Manchester United's financial losses were as high as 113.2 million pounds. In March of that year, Ratcliffe warned that the club would be bankrupt before Christmas if no action was taken.

The changes on the court are obvious. Ten Hag was replaced by Amorim, and the team invested more than 450 million pounds in signings. Ratcliffe also spent £50 million on a comprehensive renovation of the Carrington training base. The changes behind the scenes have been equally dramatic. The new management believed the club was "overly bloated" and needed to cut staff and positions. They found that the club's structure was too dependent on Champions League qualification and the Premier League title, and if it failed, the financial pressure would be huge. In response to this situation, Ratcliffe conducted the first round of layoffs shortly after taking office, laying off 250 employees. The second round of layoffs this year saw an additional 200 jobs eliminated, allowing management to adopt a more efficient staffing model.

In terms of data operations, Ratcliffe once criticized Manchester United's data analysis methods for lagging behind the times. To this end, he hired Michael Sansoni from the Mercedes F1 team as data director. Sansoni has revolutionized United's data capabilities, making them widely used in performance, recruitment and training. Manchester United's data and analytics team are now among the top tier, according to a source.

After the second round of layoffs, the club began to strategically introduce versatile talents with multiple skills to support work in multiple areas. While not all departures were forced, there has been significant turnover at the top level of the club as ownership has changed. At Old Trafford, there are 19 new senior staff members.

Among them, Chief Operating Officer Colette Roach and General Counsel Martin Mosley remain at their posts. Roach is responsible for promoting Manchester United's new 100,000-seat new stadium and the revitalization of the surrounding area. Mosley has joined Manchester United since 2007 and will take over as general counsel in the summer of 2024. The presence of Roach and Mosley is seen as a key link to the pre-Ratcliffe era, while the new management are getting a full grasp of United's scale. This includes chief executive Omar Berrada (formerly at Barcelona/Manchester City), chief commercial officer Mark Armstrong (formerly at Paris Saint-Germain), performance director Sam Erreth (formerly at Manchester City/Tottenham/The FA) and recruitment director Christopher Wavell (formerly at Chelsea/Red Bull).

In addition, Innos Group's Roger Bell became Manchester United's chief financial officer, and Channel 4's Christine Furber also joined Manchester United as human resources director. The first-team squad also welcomes a new medical team, including a new doctor, physio and performance chef. Nutrition experts and soft tissue therapy experts are also on board. Youth director and media director are also part of the key roles.

Many of the former top brass who negotiated key contracts, treated players and represented the club's public face have left. The jury is still out on whether the future is better. It is acknowledged within the club that there is an unquantifiable lag time between new processes and results. However, sometimes certain changes clearly fail. For example, Dan Ashworth left Manchester United just five months after joining, despite being a highly respected sporting director.

As Ratcliffe's second year of involvement approaches, Manchester United has changed dramatically. Huge losses have been reduced to controllable levels. The latest financial report as of June 30, 2025 showed a loss of 33 million pounds. The club is expected to eventually turn a profit.

It needs to be emphasized that the Glazer family is not a passive bystander. They are still actively involved. But now the focus is on Ratcliffe and his leadership team.

"What happens next week or in the next transfer window is all part of life, but we need to focus on the medium and long-term goals," one club insider said.

The goal this season is to return to the European competition. But these large-scale changes are not just about this goal. Their goals are more ambitious.

"If you are at Manchester United, your mindset has to be around competing for the Premier League and Champions League every year," said a person familiar with the club's operations. "It is a huge pressure, but it should also be regarded as a privilege."