Featured Image Credit: Alamy / REUTERS/Toby Melville / Paul Terry/Sportimage
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Champions League
Ryan Smart
Topics: Manchester United, Premier League, Erik Ten Hag, Champions League
Manchester United players are set for major pay rises if they secure Champions League football for next season, according to a new report.
Erik ten Hag's side currently occupy fourth place in the Premier League table, and are six points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham with two games in hand.
With seven games remaining in the season, United are well on their way to ensuring that Champions League football returns to Old Trafford in the upcoming campaign.
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But they can now only do so via their Premier League finishing position, having been knocked out of the Europa League at the quarter-final stage by Sevilla. Winning the tournament would have assured a spot in Europe's premier competition.
After last season's disappointing sixth-placed finish, the Daily Mail reported that United players had their wages reduced by up to 25 per cent as a result of not reaching the Champions League.
And it appears that wages may return to something close to previous standards if the club achieves its objectives this season.
According to the Daily Mail, United players will receive pay increases of up to 20 per cent of their existing wage if they can finish in the top four places of the Premier League.
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It is claimed that this includes new signings that arrived at the club last summer or in January, as well as those who suffered wage reductions last season.
It is not clear which players, if any, would be in line for higher wage rises - although the Mail claimed in January that the club had introduced a 'Cristiano Ronaldo rule' to stop players earning more than £200,000 per week.
It was alleged that the reason behind this was to prevent a 'culture of dressing room jealousy' at Old Trafford, with Ronaldo cited as a signing that broke United's wage structure and left him earning a higher amount than any other player at the club.
The Daily Mirror claimed that Ronaldo penned a deal worth over £500,000 per week when he rejoined the club from Juventus in 2021, although the Evening Standard report the figure as £480,000 before any wage reduction. He departed the club last December via mutual consent.