Sir Jim Ratcliffe ruthlessly axes Man Utd staff just hours after Europa League final defeat

Manchester United have began to tell staff they have lost their jobs - just days after the club's agonising final defeat against on Wednesday night. 's men fell short in Bilbao as Brennan Johnson's scrappy goal secured a 1-0 win for Spurs and helped them .

United's defeat meant they won't be playing in the next season and have missed out on a £100million windfall in the process, another big blow for the club and their perilous financial situation.

United staff were already told in February that 200 jobs were at risk, following 250 job cuts last year. Now, according to , Sir Jim Ratcliffe and his club chiefs have decided to inform some of those employees about their fate this week rather than let the disappointment of losing the final subside.

It's claimed there has been some "surprise" at the club over the timing of the move considering the pain of losing the final is still so fresh.

But after missing out on the lucrative prize that the trophy win would have guaranteed, the club are now desperate to save as much money as possible as they continue their bid towards profitability.

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Ratcliffe revealed that United were on course to be broke by if they did not introduce their brutal cost-cutting measures.

These have included scrapping free lunches for staff in the canteen, upping ticket prices, slashing concessions and removing Sir from his £2m-a-year ambassadorial role.

The report also adds that "morale is low" at Old Trafford, especially after the departures of popular and long-serving staff members, with Ratcliffe earning the unwanted nickname 'The Jim Reaper'. The British billionaire insisted these were difficult yet necessary changes to bring success back to United.

He said: "I know it's unpopular, and this period of change is uncomfortable for people, and some of the decisions we have to make are unpleasant. But they are necessary to put back onto a stable footing. If people want to see winning trophies again then we have to do all this stuff.

"We are in the process of change and it's an uncomfortable period and disruptive and I do feel sympathy with the fans. The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don't do those things."

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