What’s the story?
Manchester United superstars Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic face the prospect of having their wages deducted for the upcoming season, should their club fail to make the cut for the upcoming season of the UEFA Champions League.
The aforementioned players, who were bought by the Old Trafford club, are amongst the elite earners at the club with Pogba pocketing a whopping £290,000 per week while the Swedish superstar Ibrahimovic takes home a cool £220,000 per week.
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However, the structure of their contract with the club means that should the side fail to make the cut for the Champions League for the upcoming season, their wages could be reduced by 25%.
While other clubs like Manchester City and Arsenal have structured their player contracts in such a manner that if their side qualifies for the Champions League, 25% will be added to their weekly wages, Manchester United have had a different approach.
This means that the likes of Wayne Rooney and Juan Mata had their wages deducted in the current season since the side failed to qualify for the ongoing season of the Champions League.
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Manchester United bosses have been vocal about their aforementioned policy in the past and have cited the need to balance their books. Missing out on Europe’s elite competition has had an adverse impact on the club's revenue and by structuring their wages around it, they have been able to balance their books.
The heart of the matter
The club, which is already missing out on Matchday and TV broadcast revenue in the current season, has already revealed that it might miss out on close to 30% of yearly kit sponsorship revenue from Adidas, believed to be in the region of £22.5 million, should they fail to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for a second consecutive season.
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Given their dependence on the tournament financially, it is only reasonable that the side has passed on some of the onus to the players to perform or face a pay cut.
What’s next?
The Jose Mourinho-led side are currently 6th in the Premier League after stringing together impressive performances over the last two months. However, they remain six points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. The side has drawn their last two games against arch-rivals Liverpool and Stoke City and will need to rediscover their winning ways to break into the coveted top four.
Sportskeeda’s Take
With every passing year, the finances of clubs are becoming an important measure of the organisation’s performances and given the same, the wage structure at the club is reasonable. What remains to be seen is if the Manchester giants can close the gap on their rivals and qualify for the Champions League. The stakes are higher now than it has ever been for the club as well as its players.
