Man Utd broke strict Sir Alex Ferguson golden rule with Erik ten Hag appointment last summer

Manchester United broke a strict golden rule put in place under Sir Alex Ferguson when they appointed Erik ten Hag as manager last summer.

Ten Hag arrived at Old Trafford from Dutch giants Ajax, where he achieved significant amounts of success.

And while there were bumps in the road during his first season at United - including the devastating 4-0 defeat to Sevilla that knocked them out of the Europa League, and the 7-0 thrashing by Liverpool at Anfield - the campaign was deemed as a success by most supporters.

United won the Carabao Cup, reached the final of the FA Cup and secured Champions League qualification this season by finishing in the Premier League top four.

He has a further two seasons on his contract, including this one, although United do have the option to extend his deal by another year.

But when they appointed him to the role, United broke a golden rule that was introduced by Sir Alex Ferguson as far back as 2010.

Man Utd broke strict Sir Alex Ferguson role with Erik ten Hag appointment

In his 2015 autobiography, 'Leading', Ferguson recalled the transfer saga involving Wayne Rooney, who requested to leave the club before eventually agreeing to sign a bumper new contract.

The Scot said that he was asked by the club's owners, the Glazer family, what he thought about Rooney earn twice as much as his annual salary.

He wrote (via The Guardian): "I told them I did not think it fair that Rooney should earn twice what I made, and Joel Glazer [co-owner] immediately said: 'I totally agree with you, but what should we do?'

Ferguson then revealed how he agreed with the Glazers that no player should be paid more than him - and subsequently signed a new contract to reflect this.

But after Ten Hag's appointment, the rule no longer appears to stand. According to reports, the Dutchman earns an annual salary of around £9 million per year at Old Trafford.

Data from football finance website Capology has revealed that nine players earn a higher figure than Ten Hag, including captain Bruno Fernandes, Marcus Rashford, Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Mason Mount.

That number could reduce to eight by the end of the transfer window, however, as Maguire has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford.

But positions of power, from a financial context, have shifted further towards the players and away from managers in recent years - meaning it perhaps isn't a surprise to see United stars earn more than Ten Hag.