MANCHESTER UNITED are preparing to kick staff members out of the main canteen at their Carrington training ground, according to reports.
New co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, 71, is conducting an overhaul of the football operations at Old Trafford.
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An email has already been sent out to all non-playing staff offering them voluntary redundancy with one week to decide on their futures.
Manager Erik ten Hag’s position at the club also remains unclear after a dismal season saw them finish eighth in the Premier League, albeit while ending the campaign by lifting the FA Cup.
Ratcliffe has already detailed five managerial rules including an age limit of 25 on signings, no “Galacticos”, and a style of play set out by technical director Jason Wilcox.
Now, in the British billionaire’s latest shake-up, he is set to remove staff from eating with the players.
According to The Mail, those who do not “directly work” with the Man Utd squad will have to dine in a “separate area” at lunchtime.
The move, which will be enforced following “summer refurbishments”, is an attempt to alleviate Man Utd stars from “unwanted distractions”.
The decision is said to have divided opinion among those at the club.
And it contradicts the ethos of legendary Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson who actively encouraged all players and staff to eat together.
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In his autobiography “Managing My Life”, Fergie said: “I wanted to form a personal link with everybody around the place.
“Not just the players, the coaches and the backroom staff but the office workers, the cooks and servers in the canteen and the laundry ladies.
“All had to believe that they were part of the club and that a resurgence was coming.”
In another book later in his career, the 13-time Premier League winner added: “I wanted the younger players to be able to mingle and eat lunch with the staff too, including people like the laundry team and groundsmen.
“I’d been influenced by what I had learned from Marks & Spencer which, decades ago in harder times, had given their staff free lunches because so many of them were skipping lunch so they could save every penny to help their families.
“It probably seems a strange thing for a manager to be getting involved in – the layout of a canteen at a new training ground – but when I think about the tone it set within the club and the way it encouraged the staff and players to interact I can’t overstate the importance of this tiny change.”
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