Manchester United

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United is to close its staff canteen and instead offer employees a free piece of fruit as part of more cost-cutting measures at the club.

A staff meeting is due to take place this afternoon when it is anticipated a fresh round of redundancies will be confirmed.

Co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been determined to drive down costs at United, believing huge amounts of money are being wasted at a time when he is trying to stem losses in excess of £300m over the past three years.

Head Coach Ruben Amorim has already admitted the first-team squad must take responsibility for that as it is by far the most expensive part of the business.

United are currently facing the possibility of a £20m reduction in Premier League prizemoney this season after dropping to 15th from last season's eighth-place finish, which many inside the club said was unacceptable. Each place in the table is worth approximately £3m as part of the domestic and overseas TV distribution.

The club also confirmed last week that it had spent in excess of £12m on additional payments related to the January window arrivals of Patrick Dorgu, a £25m arrival from Italian club Lecce, and youngster Ayden Heaven from Arsenal, plus Amad Diallo's long-term contract extension.

Staff have traditionally benefitted from free hot meals but that practice is to stop.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League draw between Everton and Man Utd.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Dave: Everton absolutely bossed the first half and then went into that strange unsure mode that they seem to reserve when they are two or more goals up. An otherwise poor United side took advantage of the gift. But the real talking point is how VAR saw a 'clear and obvious mistake' for the penalty, and why didn't the referee get shown the angle that showed two clear pulls on Ashley Young's shirt? Ruined the game and an apology should be issued.

Gary: Feels like two points lost but that just shows how far we have come since David Moyes returned to Everton. Feel we should have got Carlos Alcaraz on sooner as opposed to Young, but Jordan Pickford will be kicking himself to concede the goal from Bruno Fernandes as he was out of position.

Graham: How can you dominate a game so much and then come out for the second half and just naively sit back and let the opposition come on to you? Moyes had a liking for this strategy in his first tenure and so often paid the price. This is not what Everton fans want to see, especially at Goodison Park, and hopefully the two points thrown away will be a wake-up call.

Samuel: Another great performance for the majority of the game but we gave United an opening and they took it. However, I don't think you're likely to see a clearer penalty this season both with the shirt pull from Matthijs de Ligt and Harry Maguire's arm round Young. No clue why it was overturned. Complete robbery!

United fans

Stephen: Ruben Amorim is asking his players, who are devoid of any confidence or self-belief, to play with bravery on the ball and dominate possession. They are currently frightened before they even step foot on the pitch and the last thing they want is the ball at their feet. The wiping out of the penalty right at the end of the game gives the manager and the players a scraped draw that could just give us a foothold to keep going.

Martyn: United were far inferior and seemed incapable of matching Everton in all aspects in the first half. Totally different in second half, especially after Alejandro Garnacho's introduction. Casemiro also did well further forward when Fernandes moved back. A little fortunate with Andre Onana making one or two important saves, along with the VAR decision. Two great strikes from Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte.

Steve: Just same old, same old. I don't understand how Amorim can continue with his tactics when they clearly aren't working. Let's play football in a way that the players can show their ability, not something that worked in the Portuguese league. Don't be stubborn at Manchester United's expense.

Mark: Very poor first half but recovered nicely, showed some spirit and should have won. I'm afraid Amorin's negative comments are not doing the team or supporters any favours. He needs to learn and stop immediately.

Simon Stone
Chief football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

It was another difficult day for Manchester United on the pitch on Saturday. On Monday, the focus will be off the field.

A staff meeting is due to be held later at which it is anticipated an extra round of redundancies, possibly as many as 170, will be confirmed.

It is part of co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's determination to drive down costs in an effort to address continuing losses at Old Trafford. United have lost over £300m over the past three years and last Wednesday, the club revealed a loss of £27.7m in their second quarter financial results.

Despite an initial round of 250 redundancies last year, which club officials said were likely to result in an overall saving of between £40m-£45m over time, Ratcliffe feels further cuts are needed.

Yet many question whether Ratcliffe is choosing the right targets given the first team are 15th in the Premier League and were awful for 70 minutes at Everton on Saturday, before eventually fighting back to claim a 2-2 draw.

This came after confirmation they spent £37.7m after 31 December on deals involving new arrivals Patrick Dorgu and Ayden Heaven, plus Amad Diallo's contract extension.

In addition, United's financial chiefs will have to grapple with the potential loss of £10m from United's sponsorship deal with Adidas, which is triggered by the club missing out on Champions League qualification, plus the increasing likelihood of a big drop in Premier League merit payments.

Last season, each club received £2.9m per place in the table. That meant United received £36.7m after an eight-placed finish - a significant drop from the 2022-23 figure, when they finished third.

However, if United remain 15th, the equivalent 'merit' payment last season would have been £16.9m, a reduction of almost £20m.

That is likely to put further pressure on United's chances of bolstering Ruben Amorim's squad in the summer and will bring greater scrutiny on many of the club's recent transfer dealings.

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has urged the Old Trafford hierarchy to sign 17-year-old Portuguese winger Geovany Quenda from his former club Sporting for £35m. (Star), external

Want more transfer news? Read Monday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Highlights and analysis from Saturday's seven Premier League fixtures, plus the best of the action from Friday's game between Leicester and Brentford.

If you missed Match of the Day, you can catch up now on BBC iPlayer.

Listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Arsenal 0-1 West Ham

• Aston Villa 2-1 Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim, speaking to TNT Sport on the decision to overturn a penalty given on-field for Everton in stoppage time: "I think it was a soft touch from what I saw. I think it was a soft penalty, it was clear."

On his side's performance: "We need to win three points and we need to win the whole game. The worst part is that we are losing the ball without pressure and we are not doing what we need to do. We were soft."

On fixing the problems in his side: "In training, we have to continue to do the same. In the second half, we changed nothing. We have to do the same thing but in a good way. We have to improve on creating chances and in this game also we struggle with scoring goals."

On what he can do to make his side more consistent: "I don't know, if I know, I will change it. Everything we do in the week, we have to do better in the game. In this moment, we need to focus on day by day. We need to survive this season and then we can think ahead. I don't want to just say the negative part. In the second half, we were close to win this game."

Were you at the game or following from elsewhere?

Have your say on Everton's performance

What did you make of Man Utd's display?

Come back to this page on Monday to find a selection of your replies

There are seven Premier League games on Saturday, and we will bring you every moment.

• Everton v Manchester United (12:30)

• Bournemouth v Wolves

• Ipswich v Tottenham

• Southampton v Brighton

• Arsenal v West Ham - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live

• Fulham v Crystal Palace

• Aston Villa v Chelsea (17:30) - listen on BBC Radio 5 Live (coverage will start on 5 Sports Extra)

Kick-off times 15:00 GMT unless stated

Follow all the action and reaction here

Everton have moved above Manchester United in the table, and they go into this game as favourites - and rightly so.

The Toffees are without the injured Iliman Ndiaye, which is a big blow for them, but Beto's improvement under David Moyes has been incredible and they definitely carry a goal threat now.

I actually think this game will be quite tight, though. I didn't think United's performance in last weekend's defeat at Tottenham was as bad as a lot of people made out.

They had some very good early chances they should have taken and I have a feeling they will have some opportunities this time too.

This smells of a 1-1 draw to me, which is what I am going with. One of my pals is an Everton fan and every time I haven't backed them to win under Moyes and they got something, he loved it.

He will probably be quite happy that I am not backing them here, either, but it's important for United boss Ruben Amorim that they get something at Goodison Park, and the way his side end this campaign is massive for him too.

United are not getting relegated whatever happens, but Amorim needs a decent result or two to build some credit for next season.

If he overhauls his squad in the summer, he needs to hit the ground running - it will be seen as being more his team and he has to get a tune out of them.

If that doesn't happen, then there is going to be a pile on from people saying there has been no progress since he took over from Erik ten Hag.

Sutton's prediction: 1-1

Read the full predictions and have your say here

Josh Lobley
BBC Sport journalist

Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Everton (12:30 GMT)

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Amorim confirmed that three players are set to return from injury for Saturday's match: "This week is better than last week because we didn't lose players. Christian [Eriksen], Manuel [Ugarte] and Lenny [Yoro] return."

• On longer-term injuries, he confirmed that Amad Diallo, Luke Shaw, Mason Mount, Kobbie Mainoo, and Toby Collyer are still recovering. The latter is "the closest to returning", but it will not be immediate.

• Amorim wanted to clarify comments he made recently about Christian Eriksen's heart: "It was a misunderstanding and I want to be really clear on that. He is healthy and ready to play for many years at a high level."

• On what David Moyes has changed since returning to Everton: "The confidence. They believe a lot and they are being competitive. It's an amazing job from David Moyes. It is going to be a really hard game."

• Amorim was not focused on the Europa League tie against Real Sociedad: "I just want to win against Everton. We are in a difficult situation in the Premier League and we have a lot of issues to solve in every game. If I see our performances, and focus on Real Sociedad or think about trophies in the moment, it is not the right way to do my job."

• Amorim says he has seen an improvement in squad togetherness, specifically in training: "The sound of the training is different - when we are making an exercise, you feel the sound. People are talking, asking for the ball and giving directions. You can feel it in the environment, we are changing. It's important to use that in the game."

• When asked if he has seen any improvements on the pitch during this poor run of form: "In some games that you think are more difficult, you feel that we can play and create situations and that is a good thing."

• Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Image source, Getty Images

The Europa League round of 16 draw has been completed.

• Bodo/Glimt v Olympiakos

• Fenerbahce v Rangers

• Ajax v Eintracht Frankfurt

• FCSB v Lyon

• AZ Alkmaar v Tottenham

• Real Sociedad v Manchester United

• Viktoria Plzen v Lazio

• Roma v Athletic Club

The first legs will take place on 6 March, with the return meetings the following Thursday.

Read more about the Europa League schedule on our live page

Shamoon Hafez
BBC Sport football news reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Ruben Amorim faces the media this lunchtime before Saturday's early kick-off at Everton with questions starting to stack up on the Portuguese.

Last weekend's defeat at Tottenham leaves the Red Devils in the unthinkable position of 15th in the table, a place behind the Toffees.

The lack of victories, lack of goals and general lack of direction since taking over means the pressure will inevitably crank up on ex-Sporting boss Amorim if he does not address those issues.

By contrast, Everton have been rejuvenated since the return of David Moyes, looking seemingly safe from relegation now by moving 13 points clear of the drop zone.

The Scot was given less than a season in charge at Old Trafford after taking over from Sir Alex Ferguson and, while it is still early days for Amorim, he really needs to somehow start turning the ship around.

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel told BBC Radio Manchester's fresh episode of The Devils' Advocate podcast that "it's very difficult to judge" how the club is performing based on this season alone.

He said: "It's not a great season, and it'll go down in history as that. But it's changing times, Ruben Amorim has came in and taken over a team that is predominantly not his, so it's very difficult to judge how the club is doing and where they go from here.

"It's far too early to pass judgement. I will not pass judgement. It's time and time again that we sit back and think 'this isn't good.' But it's the reality of Manchester United at the moment.

"There are people there that want the best for the football club. It's a club that has been neglected on a number of levels for a long time, and they're in there to clean up. That is what they're saying, and I trust them."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Schmeichel added: "It's not too great for Manchester United at the moment. It is changing times, there's the new ownership, new manager, but there's not a lot of money.

"It's not easy for Amorim to get to where he wants to be. He's already starting to bring in players, Patrick Dorgu for example, so you can see from the way he plays what he wants.

"Manchester United's history tells you the glory days will happen again, but how long it will take? I don't know."