Manchester United asked Manchester City to take their players to the Ballon d'Or ceremony, but latest cost-cutting plan fails
Manchester United cheekily asked rival Man City if they could take their players to the upcoming Ballon d'Or ceremony.
In recent cost reduction efforts Sir Jim Ratcliffe and its INEOS team, United wanted to save the expense of hiring its own private jet to The dazzling ball in Paris on Monday night..
City have eight stars nominated for the prestigious Ballon d'Or, which crowns the best player in European football, and have chartered a plane to take their team to France after their Premier League clash against Southampton this weekend.
united man have two players nominated, and talkSPORT understands a report from daily mail – which claims the Red Devils asked City if they had room on their plane to accommodate their players – is true.
However, United's request was met with a “no” from City bosses and the Old Trafford team have since had to organize their own travel.
United sources told talkSPORT the club wanted to avoid chartering a private jet for just two players due to the impact on the environment.
They also insisted that it is normal for clubs in the northwest of England to share private planes when necessary, even when players return from international obligations.
We were also told that all parts of the club are trying to save costs wherever possible to make it more efficient and maximize funds to invest in football.
This comes after the decision was made to remove Sir Alex Ferguson of his paid ambassador role at the club, which was not well received, Especially not with Old Trafford legend Eric Cantona..
Fergie has held the position since her retirement in 2013 and, although she is not required to relinquish her responsibilities, has accepted that he will no longer be paid – Saving the club £2.16 million a year.
INEOS' cost-cutting drive has been in place since Ratcliffe took over in the spring, which has seen 250 job cuts, the removal of club credit cards and the free travel withdrawal for the staff to the FA Cup final in May.
In total, ten Premier League stars entered the final list of nominees for the Ballon d'Or.
Rodri, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ruben Dias represent City on the list, while World Cup-winning Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martínez is also nominated, along with Martin Odegaard, William Saliba, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Arsenal and Cole Palmer of Chelsea.
City also have three players nominated in the women's category: Yui Hasegawa, Lauren Hemp and Khadija Shaw, while Savinho has been nominated for the Kopa Trophy for the best player under 21 years of age.
United stars Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are nominated for the same award.