Finance guru: Man United braced for ‘legal issues’ amid record-breaking £384m reveal – ‘it’s bold’
Manchester United will likely face legal issues from players as they try to introduce a new £200,000-a-week salary cap at Old Trafford.
That is the view of finance expert Dr Dan Plumley, who spoke exclusively to Football Insider about the “Ronaldo rule” being introduced by the Red Devils.
Man United’s wage bill of £384.2million in the 2021-22 season broke the Premier League record.
Cristiano Ronaldo was the club’s highest earner last season, reportedly earning £515,385 per week following his return to the club.
The Daily Mail reported last Saturday (7 January) that the hierarchy at Old Trafford have now introduced a £200,000-a-week salary cap in an attempt to fix the wage structure at the club following Ronaldo’s departure.
Plumley labelled the move “admirable” but insists United may now struggle to attract star players as well as they have done historically.
“It’s a smart way to keep costs down.” Plumley told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“It’s a bold move and the sentiment is admirable.
“But the problem for Man United is how it affects them from a retention point of view because this would apply to new contracts so a lot of deals would need re-negotiating.
“There will inevitably be some legal issues to tackle from players who are already contracted to a wage higher than that cap.
“It will also affect recruitment moving forward – the wage structure is admirable but it affects how attractive the club are to players in the transfer market.
“In principle, I like the idea but the worry is that they’ll miss out on players because they’ll be offered more money elsewhere.“
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