COST-CUTTING Sir Jim Ratcliffe has “ripped out” the Manchester United that Michael Owen used to know, the former striker claims.

Ratcliffe, 72, has made a series of brutal cuts since buying a stake in the Red Devils earlier this year.

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Michael Owen has been disappointed with recent cuts at Man Utd[/caption]

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Sir Jim Ratcliffe has made a series of unpopular changes[/caption]

The Ineos chief axed 250 staff roles, while he recently received a backlash as ticket prices were raised to a minimum of £66 with concessions scrapped.

United’s staff Christmas party was also cancelled, with their £100 festive M&S vouchers slashed to £40.

Owen, who played for the Red Devils between 2009 and 2012, has been disappointed to see the club shaken up behind the scenes.

But the former striker worries that fans won’t care, if they see results on the pitch.

Speaking to the MEN, the 45-year-old said: “When I was at Manchester United, all the kit men, the canteen ladies, the security, the receptionist, the physios, the doctors, it’s the backroom team that you know so much – if you go back now it’s literally all been ripped out.

“It’s quite heartbreaking for people that you know who have lost their jobs.

“The casual fans don’t care, they just want to see their team lifting a trophy whereas to us players, if I speak to old Liverpool team-mates and say, ‘oh, you’ve been back to Liverpool lately, I went back to the training ground and I know nobody’. It’s just a different club.

“The badge is still the same and the bricks and mortar are still the same, but inside it’s just totally different and that’s what matters to us who have lived it and were on the inner sanctum.”

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On the strain that such changes can put on people behind the scenes, he added: “It’s quite hard to say when somebody comes in and has a massive shake-up and loads of people lose their jobs.

“However, as I say, to the casual fan, they probably think, ‘yeah, get rid of everyone, and let’s start again’.

“It’s easy to flippantly say that, but these are people who probably have children and lives and it’s been their job for a long time and they’ve invested everything into it. It’s quite heartbreaking the actual practicality of it.

“Tinged with a little bit of sadness when I heard some of my old friends have lost their jobs, but understand, of course, as well, that Manchester United did need a bit of a shake-up and I can understand why they’ve taken the axe or wielded the axe, to so many roles.”

Following his sacking, former boss Erik ten Hag found himself in line for a £15million pay off.

United then forked out Ruben Amorim‘s £11m release clause to prise him from Sporting.

The Red Devils also eagerly recruited Dan Ashworth from Newcastle, only to axe him at a cost of £3m just five months later.

Amorim will lead his side to the Etihad this afternoon as they take on Manchester City.

United go into the contest 13th in the Premier League.

On Thursday night they defeated Czech side Viktoria Plzen 2-1, with two goals by super-sub Rasmus Hojlund completing the turnaround.

FEARNE Cotton’s friends have revealed a contributing factor to her split from husband Jesse Wood, according to reports.

The former Celebrity Juice star announced they had called time on their 10 year marriage in an Instagram statement last week.

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Fearne Cotton has moved away from her wild partying days[/caption]

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Fearne and Jesse Wood announced their split last week[/caption]

It took fans, who believed the seemingly loved-up pair were as happy as ever, totally by surprise.

Now an insider believes the pair drifted apart after Happy Place podcast host Fearne fell deeper into the wellness rabbit hole.

A pal told the Mail: “They are a lovely couple, but Fearne has changed a lot since they got together.

“She was a kind of rock chick when they first met and now she has turned into a bit of a hippy dippy therapy type.”

Fearne and Jesse met in Ibiza in 2011 shortly after his divorce from first wife Tilly.

They recalled how they hit it off on a date filled with cigarettes and vodka when they were both at their hedonistic peak.

But in the years since then, recovering alcoholic Jesse has gone teetotal and Fearne has turned her back on her hard-partying ways to focus more on family and spirituality.

The sudden end to their marriage comes just days after the author revealed she had found two tumours on her jawline.

Addressing their surprise split, Fearne said: “It is with a heavy heart that I let you all know that Jesse and I are ending our marriage.

“Our priority has been and always will be our children.

“We please ask that you respect the privacy of our family at this time.”

There were signs all had not been well for some time.

Back in 2019 Fearne admitted how their marriage was “suffering”.

She said things had got more “difficult” due to Jesse’s busy schedule with his band Reef.

This ultimately led to the couple having a screaming row in the park.

Speaking in her Red Magazine column, Fearne said: “Love takes hard work – and no one wants to hear that.”

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Reef rocker Jesse is teetotal after turning his back on booze[/caption]

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The couple first bonded over cigarettes and alcohol[/caption]

She continued: “This year, Jesse and I hit a rough patch – he was away, touring relentlessly, [with his band, Reef].

“I was trying to keep my own career going while looking after our kids and we were both desperately clinging on to our marriage.”

After their row in a local park, Fearne revealed how the pair both started to cry.

However, she credited her husband’s emotional side for them being so honest with each other.

She added: “In the midst of this gargantuan row, I think we both wondered where the love had gone and worried that it might not come back.”

And two years later, she told how the coronavirus pandemic decimated their sex life.

Speaking with Alan Carr on his podcast Life’s A Beach, she said: “Sexy time hasn’t happened for so long in terms of me going anywhere.

“I think for me and my husband, booking into the local Travelodge would make us feel sexy at the moment.”

She went on: “We have had no time alone because of the ridiculous pandemic but before all this craziness, Paris was our go-to.

“Not every weekend, maybe once a year. But it felt well special because it’s so chic and beautiful.”

Fearne, 43, and Jesse, 47, who is the son of Rolling Stones rocker Ronnie Wood, tied the knot in an intimate London ceremony in 2014.

A year before the wedding they welcomed their first child, a son named Rex Rayne Wood.

Their daughter, Honey Krissy Wood, followed in September 2015.

NO one ties the knot expecting to get a divorce, but one lawyer has said she can tell when newlyweds are heading that way.

In fact, Kristen Farris admitted she’s got a bit of a sixth sense when it comes to predicting divorce.

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Kristen explained how she can tell if a couple will last[/caption]

TikTok/@nydivorcelawyerkristen

For the divorce lawyer there’s one huge red flag[/caption]

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Her move comes just weeks before the annual ‘divorce day’[/caption]

“If I truly believe that they’re going to need it, I will put my business card in my wedding card,” the lawyer, 39, explained on TikTok.

Sometimes the risky move is taken as a joke, but it shouldn’t be.

“I don’t do it to people I think will last,” she went on to explain, “I do it people that won’t last.”

After sharing her business card venture people slammed Kristen as “insane” on the social media site.

One commented on the viral clip: “In their wedding card? That’s so tacky I would not appreciate a friend doing that.”

“Damn, divorce attorney business card in their wedding card is a bit sloppy,” someone else wrote.

But others who work in the wedding industry agreed they could also tell when lovebirds wouldn’t last.

“As a wedding photographer I can tell immediately,” one commented.

And a second agreed: “As a makeup artist working in the industry for the last 13 years I always know who is there for a marriage and who just wanted a wedding.”

And according to another wedding photographer, there a few red flags that let them know a marriage is doomed from the start.

They explained: “The red flags are a huge wedding party with six plus bridesmaids, the bride and groom ignoring each other during the reception, and the groomsmen talking crap about the bride.”

And another thought it all came down to one particular moment, they said: “As a wedding photographer I can tell A LOT about a couple while they’re cutting their wedding cake.

“If they get through it together while genuinely smiling and enjoying the moment, green flag.”

As for Kristen, she said the red flags she looks out for are “when one of the parents of the bride or groom offer to pay money for them not to marry the other person.”

But Kirsten’s controversial move might not be such a bad idea after all, since it comes just weeks before “Divorce Day”.

According to the pros at Lawson West Solicitors, the first Monday of the new year is known as “Divorce Day” since it’s the time “when couples are most likely to file for divorce or separation”.

This date coming right after Christmas is no coincidence either, after a stressful festive period spouses often decide to call it quits after the New Year.

For 2025, that first Monday date is 6^th January 2025.

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Couples are more likely to call it quits after an intense festive period[/caption]

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