Sir Jim Ratcliffe has shown little hesitation in implementing changes at Manchester United both on the football side of the operation and behind the scenes since becoming co-owner of the club

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has brutally told Manchester United staff to 'seek alternative employment' if they are not willing to work on club premises.

The Old Trafford co-owner has looked to put a stop to homeworking in a bid to boost productivity as the club continues to go through an overhaul. The Guardian report that in a meeting, the INEOS founder made his position clear and told attendees: “If you don’t like it, please seek alternative employment.”

United had utilised a flexible work-from-home policy following the Covid-19 pandemic but Ratcliffe revealed this would come to an end during an all-hands meeting which saw people attend in person and via video call. Ratcliffe had received a tour of Old Trafford and Carrington and cited email traffic statistics to illustrate why he expected workers in the office.

The 27.7 per cent stakeholder explained that in one of his companies which experimented with working from home on Fridays, they saw email traffic drop by 20 per cent. It is an outcome that has left Ratcliffe happy to offer the ultimatum.

Implementing the change is not without its challenges however. It has been suggested there is not enough room to accommodate all employees at Manchester and London premises, while some staff are on flexible contracts and as a result their terms do not demand them to work from club offices.

It is not the first alteration that Ratcliffe has led that could see frustration in the club ranks. Provisions for staff heading to the FA Cup final have been reduced compared to previous years.

Last year's showpiece against Manchester City saw all 1,100 staff members receive free tickets and transport. This year those working for United have been told they must pay £20 for coach travel and there will be no lunch provided for the trip to Wembley.

That email read: “In recognition of your ongoing support this season, we will organise a colleague trip to Wembley for the final on 25 May. This year, the trip will be a little different. We will still provide you with a complimentary ticket to the game. However, we’ll ask you to contribute towards coach travel, and lunch will not be provided.

While we appreciate this is a change from previous trips, you will all be aware of the need for us to spend the club’s money effectively, with a focus on performance and outcomes.

"We hope that this year’s trip balances the opportunity for you to go to Wembley to support our players while also ensuring we can invest as much as possible into the club over the coming months to achieve our goal of returning Manchester United back to the top of English, European and world football."