Continue to lay off employees! Man Wan: Two senior executives will leave in Manchester United s second round of layoffs

According to TheAthletic, two senior executives will leave in Manchester United's second round of layoffs.

Two senior leaders of Manchester United are reportedly expected to leave the club as part of Sir Ratcliff's second-round layoff plan, which is accelerating this week. Richard Hawkins, director of football insights and innovation, and David Harrison, director of football operations, have been told they will no longer hold their current roles in the future and are currently discussing the terms of the departure, and are one of the most well-known figures affected by Ratcliff’s layoffs.

Ratcliffe hopes to reduce the number of employees by as much as 200, just eight months after the last layoffs of 250 people, and the two layoffs combined are about one-third of the previous total. Employees at risk of unemployment have been meeting with the HR department since Monday to understand their fate. This seemed particularly embarrassing on the eve of the first leg of the UEFA Europa League semi-finals where Manchester United is about to play against Athletic Bilbao. CEO Omar Berrada has a legal time frame to deal with the process after he announced layoffs in late February. On the business side, many partners will leave, and the football sector is affected.

Harrison holds senior football positions in Manchester United's former management, responsible for all operations at the Carrington Training Base, including facilities, catering and security, as well as first-team travel and accommodation, as well as football administration such as player registration. He has also been involved in the renovation of Carrington and will continue to oversee the relocation to the upgraded facilities. He is highly respected in football and has worked in Everton for 27 years, often taking photos with new players as the club secretary. His social skills allow him to communicate effectively between the board and the locker room.

In addition, Manchester United chief operating officer Collette Roach turned from focusing on the stadium to providing additional football operation support during the restructuring, but internal news showed that she would adjust her priorities again, becoming chief development officer in July after the renovation of Carrington was completed, responsible for the proposed new stadium project. Roach is known for her efficiency and is expected to ensure the £2 billion project can be achieved. By then, there will be new appointments in football operations. Roach's role changed because Ratcliff introduced Inex's operations director Gary Hermingway to oversee Old Trafford's operations and football data analysis. Manchester United's then football director John Merto hired Harrison in March 2023, and the two worked together at Everton.

Hawkins is also one of Merto's senior team members, and has been promoted since joining Manchester United in 2008, during the golden age of Sir Ferguson's coaching. Hawkins was initially appointed as player performance manager, then served as director of athletic training services and director of physical performance, eventually taking up his current position in March 2023. His role involves exploring advanced methods and techniques to enhance the sporting science of Manchester United’s men’s, women’s football and youth training teams and bring an integrated approach.

Harrison and Hawkins left Manchester United after Steve Brown. Brown also received attention at the club for Merto's promotion, but due to the scouting department, he chose to leave instead of accepting new positions offered by technical director Jason Wilcox and recruitment director Christopher Viville. Dan Ashworth left the athletic director position in part because he opposed reducing the number of people in the football department.