The multi-million pound Man Utd blow that could see stars flood for exit this summer

In a modern sense, it was a new low, even for a club who continue to push the boundaries and plumb the depths of credibility. Manchester United, once the fearsome kings of English football, recorded their worst ever Premier League finish this season, limping to the shrugging anonymity of eighth spot after a campaign that could, at best, be described as ‘patchy’.

The Red Devils presumably began 2023/24 with lofty ambitions. Third last term, and with an injection of fresh talent in key departments of Erik ten Hag’s squad, the top four and its subsequent gift of Champions League qualification must have been a minimum expectation. Now, if United are to play continental football at all next season, they must beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final on Saturday. I would not hold your breath.

And according to The Sun, missing out on the Champions League could dent more than just the Red Devils’s pride. The tabloid suggest that failure to qualify for Europe’s top competition means that a 25% pay cut will be inflicted on the entirety of the dressing room at Old Trafford.

Top earner Casemiro will be £97,500-a-week worse off, while Marcus Rashford will lose out on around £75,000. Talismanic presence Bruno Fernandes will now take home around £180,000 every seven days, while manager Ten Hag is not exempt either; his annual salary will plummet from £9 million to £6.75 million. Over the course of a calendar year, it is a measure that should save United millions of pounds.

The knee jerk reaction here is, of course, to make some snarky comment about bleeding hearts and move on with your day wholly unbothered. But the implications for the Red Devils might prove to be far-reaching.

For one thing, a sudden drop in wage packets may cause some player within Ten Hag’s squad to reassess their positions at Old Trafford. Take the likes of Casemiro and Fernandes, reported targets of the Saudi Pro League and Bayern Munich respectively, as examples. Until now, it has been quietly assumed that they would stay at United for as long as the club wanted them. Now, the prospect of lucrative offers from abroad could perhaps be enough to tempt them into agitating for an exit this summer.

And then there is the conversation to be had about potential incoming acquisitions. Will they be offered wages in line with United’s new reduced model, or will they still be lured to Old Trafford on the inflated contracts that were in effect prior to this season? How will that impact United’s recruitment appeal, and if it is a case of the latter, then what kind of divide could this create within the squad?

None of this is to say that the Red Devils have made a poor decision by chopping their wage bill by a quarter; no club can afford to keep throwing good money after bad when their financial output is not being matched on the pitch. But certainly, this is a twist that could have consequences, and that could lead to an exodus of sorts between now and the end of the summer.