Sir Alex Ferguson favorite facing axe in major Man Utd shake-up under Sir Jim Ratcliffe

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's sweeping changes at Manchester United could see several of Sir Alex Ferguson's trusted cohort facing the axe.

With INEOS owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking a 25% stake in Manchester United from the maligned Glazer ownership, extensive shifts have taken place at Old Trafford - including potential job cuts. Interim CEO Jean-Claude Blanc recently broke the news that up to 250 staff might face redundancy by July, putting some of Ferguson's faithful at risk.

Graham Buckingham is among those receiving the ominous news about his future, as reported by The Athletic . Brought on board in 1990, Buckingham has been part of the fabric of United for decades, often referred to as one of Ferguson's 'Magnificent Seven'.

Taking various roles during his tenure, including academy kit manager, Buckingham was honored with an "Outstanding Staff" award last year. Reflecting on his commitment, colleague Dave Bushell praised him: "Graham Buckingham started in April 1990 and was a Brian Kidd appointment. He's served the club magnificently and, as kit man at Littleton Road, he is wonderful with the youngsters and makes life at the training ground good fun."

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The uncertainty also looms over numerous other academy mentors, such as Stuart Leicester, lauded for his work in nurturing talents like Marcus Rashford, who similarly finds his position under threat. Other long-standing coaches including Neil Harris, Chris Simms and Rick Ashcroft are also facing the axe.

The news of their potential job losses was delivered by United's academy director Nick Cox, alongside club HR staff. These harsh decisions have not been well-received, but the Red Devils have justified that these job cuts are a crucial part of their cost-cutting measures at Old Trafford.

During a fans' forum, United's chief operating officer, Collette Roche, stated: "There will be other departures too as we continue to restructure the club to ensure we have the right people in the right roles for long-term success.

"Significant transformation is required to meet the challenges we face to be successful on and off the pitch. We believe greater efficiency can lead to better outcomes.

"The cost review has identified "non-essential" activities we can stop, and we therefore believe we have more people than we need to deliver future club priorities. We are proposing a club-wide redundancy programme, which we believe will reduce headcount by 250 roles.

"There is now a formal consultation under way with colleagues so I can't say any more about the process until that is completed. But we have not taken this decision lightly and would not be doing it if we didn't feel it was necessary for the long-term health and success of the club."

Liverpool.com says: Manchester United is clearly in a huge period of transition, and Liverpool knows all too well how tough it can be to overhaul a massive club. Those at Anfield will be watching with interest to see how the changes behind the scenes impact United on the pitch.