SIR JIM RATCLIFFE can make all the cuts he wants — and the latest involves Manchester United’s training-ground canteen.
It is understood that lunch for all but first-team players has been reduced to soup and sandwiches — and that includes coaches and analysts.
Meanwhile, this month’s FA Youth Cup 5–1 quarter-final win over Chelsea, which traditionally would have been staged at Old Trafford, was played at Leigh Sports Village for a saving of £8,000.
But the cuts he cannot make concern the majority of the rabble that saved a point at Everton but almost no pride despite coming back from a two-goal deficit created by Beto and Abdoulaye Doucoure.
Manager Ruben Amorim has already declared he is in charge of “the worst” team in United’s history.
But against a resurgent Toffees outfit inspired by former Red Devils boss David Moyes and almost certainly denied a 93rd-minute penalty victory by a VAR call that Ratcliffe’s No 2 Sir Dave Brailsford might describe as a ‘marginal gain’, this was the worst of the worst.
Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte produced stunners to earn a point but United, before Moyes was sacked 11 years ago, were never this bad.
Plan A for Ratcliffe would be to dump most of them, if nothing else to save salary costs.
Because you would not get back even half of the staggering near-£500million transfer outlay on Saturday’s awful starting side.
But why would Casemiro, aged 33 and playing like a midfield OAP, go?
He is on £350,000 a week and has just declared that he wants to stay until his contract runs out at the end of next season.
Of course he would say that. No sane club is going to touch this burnt-out wreck of a midfielder who once gloried in five Champions Leagues triumphs with Real Madrid.
Not even the moneymen of the Saudi Pro League would go anywhere near paying him that kind of cash — and he surely knows it.
Striker Rasmus Hojlund cost an initial £64m and he can trouser £85,000 a week until 2028.
He has not hit the net in 16 straight appearances, is completely out of his depth, and even a League One team might doubt paying him even £5,000 a week.
The list of so–called stars earning money as ridiculous as that spot-kick intervention by VAR Matt Donohue and referee Andy Madley’s TV-replay-change-of-mind goes on and on.
If any player illustrates the financial hold that Amorim’s crop of pretenders have over the club, then that is surely centre-back Harry Maguire.
He, along with Matthijs de Ligt, was guilty of pulling down Ashley Young for what should have been a stitched-on penalty.
Man Utd ratings vs Everton
MANCHESTER UNITED fought back from two goals down to draw against Everton at Goodison Park
The Red Devils were slammed as “embarrassing” by Rio Ferdinand after failing 2-0 down in the first half.
But they fought back late on thanks to a stunning Bruno Fernandes free-kick and volley from Manuel Ugarte, who bagged his first goal since his summer arrival from PSG.
Amorim’s men were then lucky to escape a penalty in the final moments after VAR overturned the decision.
SunSport’s Ken Lawrence has given his ratings of the Manchester United team…
Andre Onana – 7
United needed him with his game-head on, and his 93rd-minute stop saved a point.
Noussair Mazraoui 69′ – 4
Looked seriously uncomfortable on the right side of the back three – forced there because of a defensive injury crisis
Harry Maguire – 4
Out-jumped by Doucoure as the midfielder grabbed Everton’s second and was generally all over the place.
Matthijs de Ligt – 4
Nowhere for Beto’s opener, completely missing attempted clearance and got away with a 93rd-minute penalty call.
Diogo Dalot – 5
At least shows willing. Which is more than could be said for some of his team mates at Goodison.
Manuel Ugarte – 7
Spent most of the game stranded in United’s midfield morass but salvation came with a brilliant strike.
Casemiro 62′ – 2
The Brazilian is beginning to look like the world’s oldest 32-year-old —he’s become a genuine irrelevance.
Patrick Dorgu – 6
Made a determined start down the left flank but that enthusiasm was slowly but surely sucked out of him.
Bruno Fernandes – 8
His free kick was genuine class and once he was dropped deeper started controlling the game.
Joshua Zirkzee – 4
At £36.5M you would expect an element of ball control but the Dutchman used as a joint No 10 just looks lost.
Rasmus Hojlund 69′ – 3
Not so much a desperate Dane, more a despairing one although it would help if he had some support.
Subs:
Alejandro Garnacho 62′ – 7
Injected some desperately needed pace and passion.
Leny Yoro 69′ – 6
Should have been on much earlier.
Chido Obi-Martin 69′ – 5
The 17-year-old has a presence for sure.
But in 2023, he refused to reduce his weekly wage after West Ham bid £20m for him.
The former captain is on a one–year extension handed to him last month and is paid £195,000 a week.
But Maguire, 31, would have been gone 18 months ago — except United refused to stump up the £15m he is understood to have wanted for leaving.
Ratcliffe, who invested £1.03billion to take over the running of the football side of the club a year ago, must be wondering what he got himself into.
SunSport understands Brailsford is now asking that very question.
For there is no Plan B and Amorim is seemingly hell-bent on destroying his reputation for the sake of a 3–4–3 point of principle.
United are not in a relegation crisis now but, with this lot, they will be next season.
They owe £1bn, Amorim knows that if he wants to buy he must sell first — good luck with that — and, worst of all, under Ratcliffe’s leadership the club is facing an identity crisis.
Moyes, sacked as United boss in 2014, will soon be able to indulge himself at a far different club to the semi-skint one he first left for Old Trafford.
The new 52,888-seater Bramley-Moore Dock stadium will bring in an extra £80m a year, while new owners The Friedkin Group are worth £10bn and Everton are debt-free.
This summer, Moyes will be buying big while his former club are stuck with a collection of expensive fakes they cannot sell.
The irony of all that will surely amuse him, even if he was spitting feathers following the penalty debacle that probably cost him a fifth Prem win in six games.
