Ruben Amorim has paid for friends and family of his Manchester United backroom team to attend the Europa League final in Bilbao.
As part of continuing cost-cutting measures, United have informed staff that they will not be offered complimentary tickets for next week’s final against Tottenham Hotspur.
Coaches, physios and support staff would instead be able to purchase up to two tickets.
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United’s players, meanwhile, have only been granted two complimentary tickets for their family members to attend Wednesday’s final.
Amorim, however, has covered the cost for around 30 backroom staff members to bring family to Bilbao, with the United manager keen to acknowledge their work over the course of a challenging season.
United have offered complimentary tickets to staff for finals in the past, but the change in policy reflects a season of cost-cutting at Old Trafford.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has embarked upon a series of cost-cutting measures since completing his minority investment in United in February 2024 and taking control of operations across the club.
United, who remain majority owned by the Florida-based Glazer family, have posted five consecutive full-year losses since last achieving profitability during the 2018-19 season, totalling £373million.
Amorim admitted in February that everyone at United is being affected by INEOS’ continued cost-cutting measures.
“It is always hard,” he said. “Everybody they see the friends and teammates losing their jobs but we have to focus on what we can do to help the club. We as a club have to understand what we did wrong to get to this situation.
“We have to we have to address all the problems in the club but one important piece in this moment is to understand how we get to this situation and it has a lot to do with the lack of success of the football team because we are the engine of any club. I want to improve the team.”
United will qualify for next season’s Champions League with a victory in Bilbao, despite being set to record their lowest league finish of the Premier League era.
(Photo: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
