Manchester United have informed staff of the risk of redundancies, with the club looking to cut another 200 jobs to ease financial pressure.
The Red Devils were beaten 1-0 in the Europa League final on Wednesday, with their loss to 17th-placed Tottenham Hotspur ending their hopes of Champions League football.
In fact, the club will not play in any UEFA competition next term, and they could still be leapfrogged by Tottenham in the Premier League and finish 17th.
The failure to qualify for Europe could have devastating consequences for the club’s finances, with co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe having repeatedly emphasised the need to control expenditure in order to avoid breaching financial rules.
The Athletic claim that United’s football staff are set to find out on Friday if they are at risk of redundancy amid reports that another 200 jobs could be cut from the workforce.
The consequences of losing the final
Supporters’ mood has arguably never been worse in the Premier League era, and the potential dismissal of hundreds of staff members will only add to the growing dissatisfaction at Old Trafford.
While the consequences on the club’s backroom staff could be dire, the impact of losing out on European football could also extend to the playing staff.
Captain Bruno Fernandes has been one of the team’s few bright sparks – scoring 19 goals and providing 17 assists in all competitions – but an exit for the playmaker can no longer be ruled out.
Saudi Pro League sides have been credited with an interest in the 30-year-old, and selling him could bring in significant funds for boss Ruben Amorim to rebuild his squad.
United are expected to bring in attacker Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Matheus Cunha, but striker targets such as Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap and Sporting Lisbon’s Viktor Gyokeres could be harder to attract.
Newcastle United will reportedly hold talks with Delap, while Arsenal’s place in the Champions League may prove a decisive factor in their pursuit of Gyokeres.
Amorim faces a difficult challenge next season to get the Red Devils back to competing for Europe, and it would not be surprising if his own job was at risk.
