Manchester United can expect to be busy in the summer transfer window after biding their time in the winter
Rasmus Hojlund and Andre Onana are among the high earners sidelined by Manchester United(Image: Zohaib Alam – MUFC, Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United have invested heavily in recent years as they attempt to claw their way back to the summit of the Premier League, yet success has often proved elusive. The scale of squandered funds becomes starkly apparent when examining the club’s wage expenditure.
Since the summer of 2021, the club have splashed out over £950million whilst bringing in less than £300m through player sales. Yet we need to look beyond those figures alone for a more complete picture.
United are set to reduce their wage bill this summer when highest earner Casemiro departs following the expiration of his contract. Further savings could materialise should Barcelona exercise their option to sign Marcus Rashford permanently, although there have been suggestions Michael Carrick may be less inclined than Ruben Amorim was to let the player go (even if it might not be in his hands).
According to Spotrac, Casemiro and Rashford account for £33.8m annually between them, though Barcelona are paying the Englishman’s wages while he is at Camp Nou. Our focus, however, is on the millions being spent on others who can broadly be regarded as surplus to requirements at the club.
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United committed to paying Jadon Sancho and Andre Onana substantial six-figure weekly wages, yet neither appears to have a future at Old Trafford. Sancho is almost guaranteed to be searching for a new club in the summer when his contract runs out, while it remains to be seen whether Onana joins Trabzonspor permanently or finds himself looking for a new employer.
Rasmus Hojlund, reportedly earning £85,000 per week, was also sent out on loan. The Danish striker could well secure a permanent transfer to Napoli in the summer after it became apparent United favoured Benjamin Sesko to spearhead their attack, though United at least aren’t covering his entire wage packet this season.
Tyrell Malacia was the sole member of the so-called ‘bomb squad’ who failed to secure a departure in the summer, yet he has scarcely featured this campaign while earning just shy of £4m annually. Joshua Zirkzee may have a future at the club if he’s prepared to accept a substitute role, though he’d be a costly one, having started merely four matches this season and none under Carrick after his £36.5m arrival.
Jadon Sancho is spending the season on loan at Aston Villa(Image: Getty Images)
United aren’t currently covering the full wages of Sancho, Onana and Hojlund, with the club liable for different amounts depending on the conditions of their respective loans. Nevertheless, those three – alongside Zirkzee and Malacia – represent just over £30m per year in wages alone.
Then we factor in the transfer fees, which total a combined sum of roughly £230m on top. Only a small portion of that figure is likely to be recovered by the club, though Hojlund is at least set to earn United more than half of their original investment back – something unlikely to be the case everywhere.
This summer will undoubtedly be a crucial one for United and their supporters, irrespective of who is at the helm. However, they are all too aware of the potential fallout from making the wrong decisions.
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