(Football news) After a successful first season in charge under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United regressed significantly in 2023-24 and are at risk of missing out on European football entirely.
Placed in a Champions League group with Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Copenhagen, Ten Hag’s men finished dead last in the section and also suffered their worst-ever Premier League ranking.
Despite beating Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 on the final day, Manchester United could only muster an eighth-placed finish with 60 points, leaving them outside of the European positions in the top flight.
Ten Hag’s troops are still capable of qualifying for the Europa League by beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final, but they will not be present at Europe’s top table, which brings severe financial ramifications.
The Red Devils’ senior squad are now facing a huge 25% salary decrease, and head coach Ten Hag is not immune from the financial sacrifice either.
However, it remains to be seen if the Dutchman – whose £9m-a-year pay packet is set to become £6.75m per annum – stays on, having overseen a historically poor season for the Red Devils.
A decision on Ten Hag’s future is not expected to be made before the FA Cup final, but he is rumoured to have just a 50-50 chance of keeping his job as Sir Jim Ratcliffe weighs up possible successors.
Manchester United’s apparent plans to slash player salaries could hamper their chances of keeping captain Bruno Fernandes, though, as he supposedly wants to be brought in line with the club’s top-paid players.
The Portugal international has two years left to run on his current terms, with the option of a further 12 months, and he has apparently issued a contract ultimatum to the club’s hierarchy.
Given Fernandes’s huge influence on the squad, the Red Devils board will likely have no choice but to bow to his demands, but other players will likely be forced to accept the new pay packets or head for the exit door.
Casemiro is said to be the club’s current top earner on £350,000 a week, but the ex-Real Madrid man is expected to be one of the first names on the chopping block this summer after his difficult season.
Raphael Varane – earning just under his teammate at £340,000 per week – is already known to be leaving at the end of his contract, while Anthony Martial (£250,000) should head elsewhere too.
Offers should also be entertained for Antony, Jadon Sancho and Christian Eriksen – all of whom are on £100k a week or more, while £90,000 pair Donny van de Beek and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are on the chopping block too.
Also read: Manchester United will play Brighton in the English Premier League
