Sir Jim Ratcliffe has started a huge rebuild at Manchester United. Phase one of this plan brought big changes, fast decisions, and tough job cuts. After more than 450 staff lost their jobs, the focus has now shifted to rebuilding the club from the ground up. This is the story of how the Ratcliffe revolution at Manchester United began.
Ratcliffe Massive Job Cuts and a Shock to the Club
When Ratcliffe bought a 27.7% stake for £1.25bn in December 2023, he promised to take United back to the top. But he also warned that the club was losing too much money. United reported losses of £113.2m for the year ending June 2024. Ratcliffe claimed the club could “go bust” without urgent action.
Why the Cuts Happened
The club was “over-dimensioned”. There were too many people and too many roles.
The structure only worked if United played in the Champions League every year.
Missing out on big competitions put huge pressure on the budget.
An initial cut of 250 staff came first. Later, the process continues to cut off another 200 rolls. The shock was big, and the emotional impact inside the club was heavy. But the owners believed it was necessary to reset the structure and free up money for football operations.
Ratcliffe rebuilding With New Staff and a New Data Culture
After the cuts, United changed direction. The new goal was to hire people who were flexible, skilled, and able to work across different areas.
Upgrading the Data Department
Ratcliffe said the club’s data department was stuck in the “last century”. United wanted to match Formula 1’s use of data and AI. So they hired Michael Sansoni from Mercedes F1. He rebuilt the entire data system.
Insiders say United’s data team is now “among the top four teams” in world football.
A Wave of New Leaders
United brought in 19 major new staff members, including:
- CEO Omar Berrada
- People Director Kirstin Furber
- Chief Business Officer Marc Armstrong
- Performance Director Sam Erith
- Recruitment Director Christopher Vivell
- CFO Roger Bell
The club also hired new experts in nutrition, soft-tissue treatment, and sports medicine, and even a new performance chef.
Some experienced names remain. COO Collette Roche and general counsel Martin Mosley are still at the club. Their presence helps keep continuity as the new leadership learns the scale of managing Manchester United.
A Difficult Transition and Lessons Learned
Not every major appointment worked out. Sporting director Dan Ashworth arrived with a big reputation. However, within five months he left. United had paid Newcastle £3m to hire him and almost £4m more when he left.
Sources say the role did not match Ashworth’s expectations. A disagreement over how his job should operate made the split inevitable.
Inside the club, leaders know that results take time. New systems need months or even years to show impact. But public judgement often depends on what happens on the pitch each week.
Author’s Opinion
The Ratcliffe revolution at Manchester United is bold, aggressive, and long overdue. United were stuck with outdated systems and slow processes. Ratcliffe’s team made painful decisions, but they were needed to fix years of decline.
The success of this rebuild will depend on how quickly the new staff, new ideas, and new data systems can turn into strong performances on the pitch. The early changes are promising, but the real test will be results. If United start winning again, this period will be seen as the moment the club finally woke up.
Return to its old glory and legacy created by Sir Alex Ferguson. This situation is like two sides of a coin: a team needs an owner with a mindset of true game spirit. We also need capital, so we depend on businessmen.
