Stefan Borson drops exit verdict on five Man United stars as dramatic cuts begin
Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is continuing to cut costs at Old Trafford.
In a controversial reveal earlier this year, Ratcliffe claimed Man United would have gone “bust by Christmas” if it wasn’t for his cost-cutting measures, which have included charity cuts and halting benefits for ex-players.
Ratcliffe is now looking to cut Man United’s wage bill as part of the plans to move on some high earners.
The Sun reported on 26 November Ruben Amorim’s side are hoping to save up to £2.1m a week on wages, with several permanent exits on the cards.
Man United have made ‘aggressive’ cuts
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider the likes of Bruno Fernandes, Harry Maguire and Casemiro are likely to remain at Old Trafford.
However, Jadon Sancho is expected to leave on a free transfer next summer, while Kobbie Mainoo could be sold.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “I don’t think United are going to cut £100m off the wage bill. Wage bills always come down slower than people think. United have already cut the wage bill quite aggressively.
“Every team has got players who are surplus to requirements who you go, ‘Well, of course, we’ll sell these players in the summer and then the wage bill will just collapse and we’ll have a tiny wage bill’. It just never works that way.
“First of all, you can’t always get rid of these players. Some of them come back.”
Man United have the fifth-highest wage bill in the Premier League after their total dropped from £365m in 2023-24 to £313m last season.
Jadon Sancho and Kobbie Mainoo set for Man United exits
Borson believes Man United won’t trigger Sancho’s one-year extension option when his loan deal at Aston Villa expires next summer.
“There’s an interesting situation with Sancho,” said Borson.
“I think he’s got a one-year option that United talked about exercising, but they probably won’t exercise it, so maybe he’ll go for free.
“I think they will probably sell Mainoo, but then that’s more of a profit and not really a massive wage saving because he won’t be on top-tier wages.
“They’ll probably end up keeping Casemiro rather than shipping him out. They’ll probably end up keeping Bruno Fernandes. They’ll probably end up doing a deal to keep Maguire. They might be on reduced salaries, but they’re not going to go to zero. They’ll just trim 25 per cent off.”
Elsewhere, Rasmus Hojlund is set to join Napoli permanently for £38m next summer, while Barcelona have an option to sign Marcus Rashford for around £30m.
Rashford is believed to be on around £325,000 a week, ensuring Man United could be in line to make significant savings following his departure.
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