Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly set to implement a significant change at the club, breaking a long-standing rule introduced by Sir Alex Ferguson.
The 71-year-old has been actively involved in reshaping the culture at United, including withdrawing private car access for most staff members and ordering those with hybrid working arrangements to return to the office. He also cancelled the corporate credit cards of department heads.
According to the Daily Mail, Ratcliffe’s latest rule will prohibit staff members who do not directly work with the first team from dining in the main training ground canteen. Instead, they will be directed to a separate area for lunch and will not have access to the ‘high-performance food’ enjoyed by the players.
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Critics of the move are believed to think that banning staff members from the canteen will further alienate United’s playing squad from the club’s rank and file. However, others within Old Trafford are reported to have supported the change, feeling that some create an ‘unwanted distraction’ by clinging onto the players.
Ratcliffe’s decision to exclude staff from the canteen directly contradicts the philosophy of Ferguson, who fostered a culture of unity during his tenure at United. He famously ensured that everyone employed by the club, from the millionaire players to the secretaries and tea ladies, dined together in the same area, reports the Express.
In his book, Leading, Ferguson highlighted the significance of allowing everyone to use the canteen, a policy he implemented shortly after assuming control of the club in 1986.
He said: “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 and 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.”
It remains to be seen if Ratcliffe’s latest move will have the desired impact, with the United shareholder determined to transform the culture at the club in his pursuit of greatness. His next task will be to decide the future of manager Erik ten Hag, who is waiting to discover if he will keep his job next season with the club yet to conclude their internal review.