Leeds to become first victims of Man United’s latest cost-cutting measure

Manchester United are set to abandon traditional gift-giving as part of their pre-season plans, talkSPORT understands. Rivals believe it’s a cost-cutting measure, although United sources insist it’s a move away from needless ceremony and pomp, especially when facing English opponents. Exchanging pennants between teams from different countries is traditional, but no longer considered necessary at United for friendliesGetty Clubs usually exchange both pennants and gifts during pre-season friendlies, but United won’t partake in the latter when they play Leeds United on July 19 in Stockholm. Their Premier League Summer Series fixtures against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton will also likely be devoid of gift giving. It remains to be seen whether United change their approach for Fiorentina at Old Trafford on August 9. During pre-season, clubs tend to exchange personalised shirts, or other club merchandise, while some even create custom items specific to each friendly, including silverware. These are often viewed as displayable and unique items, especially by clubs who perhaps only get to face a team like Manchester United during the off-season. The gifts become a gesture of goodwill and help forge relationships between executives. The exchange of the pennant, and usually the gifts, tends to happen before the match, and is sometimes done in front of the cameras. Manchester United plan to instead put some budget towards hosting rival executives, starting with a planned drinks reception with Leeds officials in Stockholm. Given United faced Leeds 12 months ago in Oslo Norway, and will come up against them in the Premier League, there is a feeling pre-season gifts to familiar foes are needless and even old-fashioned. Although United insist their move away from gift-giving is not budget-driven, under INEOS, Manchester United is undergoing significant cost-cutting measures driven by Sir Jim Ratlciffe. This has included hundreds of redundancies, and the closure of the staff canteen. Funding to the club’s charitable arm, The Manchester United Foundation, has been reduced. And Ratcliffe has also ended legendary manager Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role, while Bryan Robson, Andy Cole and Denis Irwin have had their salaries cut. It’s tradition for the starting XI to pose with the pennant before exchanging itAFP These measures form part of a broader effort to address the club’s financial losses, which have exceeded £300m over the past three years. When Ratcliffe joined as a minority owner, he pledged £220m of personal investment, but feels this money won’t have an impact without stabilising the club’s finances first, even warning the money at the club could run out entirely. “The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don’t do those things,” Ratcliffe told The Telegraph in March. “My mother would say: ‘You look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.’ “[The club can say to staff] ‘We’ll give you free lunches, we’ll give you all these perks and we’ll pay for your first-class train fare. We’ll give you a free taxi for this, but we’re going to cut back here [elsewhere].’ It’s not coherent. “I know I’m getting a tough time in the press for being brutal, unpleasant, all those sorts of things… You either get it sorted out or not.” Man United's pre-season schedule Leeds United, Jul 19, Strawberry Arena, Stockholm West Ham, July 27, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey Bournemouth, July 31, Soldier Field, Chicago Everton, August 3, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta Fiorentina, August 17, Old Trafford It is unclear how much money Manchester United will actually save by not offering gifts to their pre-season opponents, and it has raised eyebrows among several of their opponents who are surprised by the move having already prepared gifts to give to United.

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Leeds to become first victims of Man United’s latest cost-cutting measure

Manchester United are set to abandon traditional gift-giving as part of their pre-season plans, talkSPORT understands.

Rivals believe it’s a cost-cutting measure, although United sources insist it’s a move away from needless ceremony and pomp, especially when facing English opponents.

Exchanging pennants between teams from different countries is traditional, but no longer considered necessary at United for friendlies

Clubs usually exchange both pennants and gifts during pre-season friendlies, but United won’t partake in the latter when they play Leeds United on July 19 in Stockholm.

Their Premier League Summer Series fixtures against West Ham, Bournemouth and Everton will also likely be devoid of gift giving. It remains to be seen whether United change their approach for Fiorentina at Old Trafford on August 9.

During pre-season, clubs tend to exchange personalised shirts, or other club merchandise, while some even create custom items specific to each friendly, including silverware.

These are often viewed as displayable and unique items, especially by clubs who perhaps only get to face a team like Manchester United during the off-season. The gifts become a gesture of goodwill and help forge relationships between executives.

The exchange of the pennant, and usually the gifts, tends to happen before the match, and is sometimes done in front of the cameras.

Manchester United plan to instead put some budget towards hosting rival executives, starting with a planned drinks reception with Leeds officials in Stockholm.

Given United faced Leeds 12 months ago in Oslo Norway, and will come up against them in the Premier League, there is a feeling pre-season gifts to familiar foes are needless and even old-fashioned.

Although United insist their move away from gift-giving is not budget-driven, under INEOS, Manchester United is undergoing significant cost-cutting measures driven by Sir Jim Ratlciffe. This has included hundreds of redundancies, and the closure of the staff canteen.

Funding to the club’s charitable arm, The Manchester United Foundation, has been reduced.

And Ratcliffe has also ended legendary manager Alex Ferguson’s ambassadorial role, while Bryan Robson, Andy Cole and Denis Irwin have had their salaries cut.

It’s tradition for the starting XI to pose with the pennant before exchanging it

These measures form part of a broader effort to address the club’s financial losses, which have exceeded £300m over the past three years.

When Ratcliffe joined as a minority owner, he pledged £220m of personal investment, but feels this money won’t have an impact without stabilising the club’s finances first, even warning the money at the club could run out entirely.

“The simple answer is the club runs out of money at Christmas if we don’t do those things,” Ratcliffe told The Telegraph in March.

“My mother would say: ‘You look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.’

“[The club can say to staff] ‘We’ll give you free lunches, we’ll give you all these perks and we’ll pay for your first-class train fare. We’ll give you a free taxi for this, but we’re going to cut back here [elsewhere].’ It’s not coherent.

“I know I’m getting a tough time in the press for being brutal, unpleasant, all those sorts of things… You either get it sorted out or not.”

Man United's pre-season schedule

Leeds United, Jul 19, Strawberry Arena, Stockholm

West Ham, July 27, MetLife Stadium, New Jersey

Bournemouth, July 31, Soldier Field, Chicago

Everton, August 3, Mercedes Benz Stadium, Atlanta

Fiorentina, August 17, Old Trafford

It is unclear how much money Manchester United will actually save by not offering gifts to their pre-season opponents, and it has raised eyebrows among several of their opponents who are surprised by the move having already prepared gifts to give to United.