An unexpected opportunity arose — a chance to cover up everything that went wrong, and there was plenty of that. Winning the Europa League trophy at San Mames would have created the illusion that things were finally starting to move in the right direction. But Manchester United suffered their first European loss of the season at the worst possible time. The defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final undoubtedly stung, and failing to erase the stains accumulated this season — and over the past few years — will come at a cost. Manchester United was well aware that irresponsible management would eventually catch up to them, though perhaps not to this extent. Only Sir Jim Ratcliffe and those in charge of the club’s finances might have truly known how deep the damage ran.The $4 billion worth of shares Sir Jim Ratcliffe bought into Manchester United in February 2024 are now worth just $1.7 billion. Severely leaking money. 💦💰 pic.twitter.com/TXmSVQErIT— Statman James (@JamesStatman) May 22, 2025 Sir Jim Ratcliffe, United’s minority owner had warned that the financial hit at the end of the season could be incalculable — that everything would come due with interest, with nothing left to draw from. Hence the belt-tightening measures. Yet, it seems they cut in all the wrong places. In two waves, the club laid off 450 employees. It won’t cover the losses, and it sent a damaging public message. The losses are massive — enormous. A black hole has swallowed up 80 million pounds, or roughly 95 million euros. A disastrous season has taken its toll and will directly affect the club’s spending power. Until United can sell some players — a big question mark, since many underperformed, and letting go of Bruno Fernandes would be counterproductive — they won’t be able to buy new talent either. Without fresh faces and reinforcements, what is there to hope for?Sinking giant – crew points finger at commanderManchester United is caught in a vicious cycle, and climbing out won’t be easy. It will be difficult to comply with Profitability and Sustainability Rules. A challenging period lies ahead at the Theatre of Dreams, as they can no longer rely on the revenue streams they’ve grown accustomed to. For the first time since the 2014/2015 season, United won’t be part of any European competition. Just from TV rights in the Europa League, they earned 36 million. Ticket revenue is also expected to fall, with estimates around 24 million. Then there are penalties totaling 12 million from Adidas, triggered by clauses in their sponsorship deal for failing to qualify for the Champions League. These penalties will apply to every season they miss out on that competition.Goal like final, final like season, season like Man Utd’s worst nightmare! Scrappy own goal for Spurs’ UEL triumphAdd to that the minor revenues from UEFA Super Cup and similar competitions — they may seem small, but together they add up to that dreaded 95 million figure. To make matters worse, United’s poor finish in the Premier League is another financial blow. Should they end the season in 16th place, they’ll earn roughly 27 million less than they did the previous year. And that’s separate from the European failure. And it won’t stop there — financial setbacks will continue to emerge like mushrooms after rain in the coming months.##NAJAVA_MECA_8945539##
