Stefan Borson: Man United have £50m hole in their accounts
Manchester United are feeling the effects of failing to qualify for European football for this season.
Man United missed out on Europe after finishing 15th in the Premier League table and losing to Tottenham in the Europa League final.
Despite that disappointment, Man United smashed their club-record revenue after publishing their 2024-25 accounts last month, revealing their turnover increased from £661.8million to £666.5m.
That figure was boosted by Man United’s significant uplift in commercial revenue, which improved from £302.9m in 2023-24 to £333.3m last season.
The 20-time English champions’ broadcast revenue fell from £221.8m to £172.9m due to their lack of Champions League football, while matchday income at Old Trafford increased from £137.1m to £160.3m.
Man United make move to fill £50m hole
Former Man City financial adviser Stefan Borson exclusively told Football Insider Man United will have a £50m gap in their accounts to fill due to their lack of European football and not being able to undertake a post-season tour before next summer’s World Cup.
It has emerged Ruben Amorim’s side are now considering playing a mid-season friendly in Saudi Arabia to make up for their lost revenue.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson said: “Well, it’s not a surprise.
“I did speculate a few weeks ago that that could be a strategy for them because what they’ve said already is that despite having no European football this season, which we know from their accounts was worth £43m in total last season, that’s the broadcast element and also the matchday element, so they’re going to lose £43m of their revenue for this year.
“They’ve still despite that forecast that they will be around about £650-660m, which is about the same as last year in guidance for the current season.”
Man United could boost their finances if they were to finish considerably higher than their 15th-place finish in the Premier League last season.
Man United could earn £10m from Saudi trip
Man United earned between £8-10m from their post-season tour of Malaysia last summer, with a friendly in Saudi now potentially on the cards during this campaign.
Borson said: “What it implies is that they’ve got to replicate the Malaysia pre-season trip. Now, that’s going to be difficult to do a post-season trip before 30 June because it’s a World Cup year.
“Now, they still need to find that £10m from somewhere. On top of that, they have not got the £43m that we just talked about, so they’ve got a gap of £50m. They’ve got to fill that somehow.”
Man United currently sit 10th in the Premier League table after picking up 10 points from their opening seven games of the season.
For more Man United news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.