As reported by the Daily Mirror, staff believe that they're being spied on by a senior figure who Sir Jim Ratcliffe has brought into the club which has created a growing culture of fear in and amongst staff. Last August, 250 people - roughly a quarter of United's workforce - were made redundant as part of Ratcliffe's efforts to balance the books which could continue in the coming months.
In December, the club made the decision to sack sporting director Dan Ashworth after only five months in the role which shocked many fans due to its brutality. A new report from the Telegraph explains how staff viewed Ashworth's departure as a sign that no one was safe under Ratcliffe's new regime that will stop at nothing to cut costs.
"It's like this axe is hanging over your head all the time and you're just waiting for it to drop," one source is claimed to have told the newspaper. One unnamed male executive is said to be reporting to Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford, his right-hand man on a regular basis.
The report claims that staff have to choose their words carefully around this figure and constantly fear that their comments and criticisms could come back to bite them. United are reportedly set to gather their employees at a staff meeting at 2:30 pm on Monday to update them on the possibility of further redundancies which are sure to happen in the coming months.
Recently, the 72-year-old increased his stake to 28.94 percent and injected a further £79.3M which makes it clear that he is here to stay and believes in the club. However, the fear he has instilled could be cause for concern as those who work tirelessly for the club could be out of work come Monday.