Manchester United’s wage bill has reportedly dropped below Liverpool’s

Add as preferred source on Google

Manchester United’s wage bill fell by almost £45 million last season, according to the Independent.

United’s outlay on player wages dropped from £287.4 million to £242.5 million last term – for two main reasons.

The first was apparently because no bonuses were paid out for playing in the Champions League.

Also, getting the likes Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez – both of whom joined Inter Milan – out of the club helped.

For so long, United have led the way in terms of having a sky-high wage bill without building a title-winning team to show for that outlay.

While silverware still awaits, United paid out less than both Manchester City and Liverpool last season.

City paid out £276.9 million on wages last term, and are still looking at a deal to bring Lionel Messi – and his staggering salary – to the Etihad Stadium.

Liverpool have been praised for their Moneyball approach but shelled out £276.2 million on wages for their squad.

The figures show the impact of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s transfer strategy at Old Trafford.

He has tried to move United away from the model of paying high wages for players who don’t necessarily fit into a clear playing style and focused on bringing in younger, hungrier players on the whole.

United will of course be paying out Champions League bonuses this season – and they will hope to do the same in 2021/22 as well.

That will inflate the wage bill again, but Solskjaer hasn’t finished clearing the deadwood from his squad either.

• Donald Trump will be at World Cup final, but US president’s Man Utd ‘connection’ is deeper than some might think
• Analysing how Marcus Rashford performed in England’s 6-4 win over France
• Lisandro Martinez has never taken penalty in his whole career, but this is what he could do in World Cup final
• Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos have once again been vindicated with major Man Utd call, despite Wrexham defeat
• 14 things I liked and disliked from Man Utd vs Wrexham pre-season opener
• Andrey Santos delivered exactly what Michael Carrick could have hoped for in Man Utd against Wrexham
• One Man Utd youngster has just cemented himself in Michael Carrick’s first-team plans for next season
• Four biggest winners from Manchester United’s 1-0 defeat against Wrexham
• Andrey Santos was doing something so impressive vs Wrexham that Benjamin Sesko will love