Man Utd hero upset with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and singles out player as INEOS feel the heat

Manchester United chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been blasted for his treatment of the club’s loyal employees, with £85million outcast Antony highlighted as an indictment of the club’s mismanagement.

Ex-Red Devils striker Teddy Sheringham, speaking exclusively to Express Sport, has questioned the club’s hierarchy for turning their backs on the people behind the scenes that help ‘make the club tick’ while wasting millions on players.

The Telegraph reported that United had controversially scrapped an annual £100 bonus for employees and replaced it with a gift card for less than half the value. Instead of receiving the small cash reward, staff at Old Trafford were given a voucher with the value of £40 to redeem with retailer Marks & Spencer.

United have splashed out huge fees on players over the years, with one of their most ineffective signings Antony costing £85m from Ajax alone. The Brazilian earns £160,000 a week but has played for just 38 minutes in the Premier League this season, despite being fully fit.

While Ratcliffe did not sign Antony, the billionaire did sanction a £220million spending spree this summer only a few months after United announced 250 club employees would be made redundant to cut costs. The INEOS supremo has also since fired Erik ten Hag and sporting director Dan Ashworth, as well as hiring Ruben Amorim, at an overall cost of £26m.

Sheringham, who scored in the 1999 Champions League final that helped United seal their historic Treble, admitted he was troubled to learn about how staff had been treated.

“I’m very surprised that the outburst from those people [the owners] is, they can go out and spend £85million on Antony and waste money, but then they want cutbacks on people that are earning 20 grand a year from the club,” Sheringham said, on behalf of FreeBets.com. “It’s upsetting a lot of people, I think.

The former striker, 58, highlighted the impact of United’s beloved receptionist Kath Phipps, who died at the age of 85 on December 5.

She had worked at United for over 50 years and earned touching tributes from United stars of past and present such as David Beckham, David de Gea and Wayne Rooney.

“I don’t hear so much being down here in London. But I have heard that the minor cuts [were applied] to people that make a difference around the football club,” Sheringham added.

“If you saw recently, the lady Kath – who was on the front desk for many years – she passed away and it kind of hits everyone because she made that a family home.

“And the cuts that they’ve made recently, I’ve heard, is all people that have been there for 10, 15, 20 or 30 years. Not important jobs [on the pitch], but important jobs that make the club tick on a family basis, that everybody knows to make it feel homely when people come in.”

Ratcliffe became United’s head of football operations in May after investing £1.4bn for a 25 per cent stake in the club. But his decisions have not been received well by the club’s vocal fanbase. A number of supporter groups recently protested against the club’s cash-grab midway through the season after hiking up ticket prices to £66 per game, with no concessions for children or pensioners.

After watching the club blow millions on a number of ill-advised signings, Sheringham said that morale at United has taken a hit and indicated it may be on Ruben Amorim – whose charitable acts in Portugal are well-documented – should step in to make amends if the owners won’t.

“It’s all about getting the right manager in place that understands all of that. I’ve been at clubs where people say, ‘right, we’re going to have a whip round for so and so.

“It’s not right that they’re having that festive period around the club and not getting that little lovely perk that they love.”