Ratcliffe now cuts back on lunches at Man Utd with just 'soup and sandwiches'

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has introduced another wave of budget cuts at Manchester United, with the latest changes impacting the food options at the club’s training ground canteen.

Since taking over partial control of the club last February, the billionaire has overseen a series of behind-the-scenes changes, including the dismissal of over 250 staff members, with more redundancies expected in the coming weeks.

Ratcliffe has already made several cost-cutting decisions, such as canceling the club’s annual Christmas party, increasing ticket prices, and reducing funding for a charity supporting former players.

Now, he has limited lunch options at the training ground, restricting meals to just soup and sandwiches for all players and staff—except for the first-team squad, who retain a more varied selection.

The financial cutbacks have also impacted Manchester United’s academy. The Under-18s were denied the opportunity to play their FA Youth Cup fifth-round match at Old Trafford, a fixture traditionally held at the club’s main stadium.

Instead, the game was moved to the 12,000-seat Leigh Sports Village, a decision that reportedly saved the club £8,000.

Amid these financial adjustments, Manchester United’s struggles on the pitch show no signs of easing. The team currently sits 15th in the Premier League, above West Ham only on goal difference.

Following their 2-2 draw against Everton at Goodison Park—where Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte scored second-half goals to salvage a point—manager Ruben Amorim admitted he is grappling with one of the club’s worst-ever teams.

"I don’t know what I need to do to bring more consistency," Amorim said after the match. "If I knew, I would change it."

He acknowledged the club’s ongoing problems, emphasizing the need to survive the season before looking ahead to long-term solutions.

"We need to focus on the next game. Everything we do in the week needs to be used in matches. If we do that, we’ll be closer to winning games, as we showed in the second half. Right now, it’s about taking things day by day."

Despite a more spirited second-half performance, Amorim admitted United still have significant challenges to overcome:

"We have so many problems. When we go into games and just let time pass, it’s really difficult. I don’t want to focus only on the negatives—our belief in the second half was much better, and in the end, we were close to winning. But we need to be better throughout the full 90 minutes."