Sir Jim Ratcliffe makes brutal 'second Man United cut' after Sir Alex Ferguson decision

Manchester United's Christmas party has reportedly been cancelled by Sir Jim Ratcliffe in the latest cost-cutting move at the club.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Sir Alex Ferguson's ambassador role, worth £2.16m a year, was being cut following United's decision to make 250 redundancies across the business earlier this year. Now, another decision has come to light.

In May the club also denied staff free travel to last season's FA Cup final as the Ineos part-owners, who completed a 25% purchase of the club last December, began a comprehensive review of the club's structure. Now, their festive celebration has been scrapped as part of the latest cost-cutting measure from a club that spent £180m on new players in the summer, reports the Mirror.

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It is understood that Ferguson accepted the decision to have his role reduced amicably following a face-to-face meeting with Ratcliffe. There is no animosity between them and the 82-year-old will always be welcome at Old Trafford.

Ferguson retired as manager in 2013 after 26 trophy-laden years and has held the ambassadorial role since. United return to action against Brentford on Saturday with head coach Erik ten Hag under severe pressure.

They sit in the bottom half of the Premier League having taken just eight points from their first seven fixtures games and only newly promoted Southampton have scored fewer goals. The board convened last week to discuss several matters, including Ten Hag's future with the team.

While his position appears secure for the moment, there is a general sense that outcomes must improve swiftly to maintain this stance. Reflecting on the uneventful draw with Aston Villa just over a week ago, Ten Hag remarked: "We are all on board together, on one page, we know what we are working through."

He added: "It's a long-term process. It's external noise. Internally we're disappointed and we know we have to do better.

"Especially we need to score more. But I don't have any idea it is different, because they would tell me. We communicate and are very transparent."