With their player expenditure significantly exceeding their league placing from 2024–2025, Manchester United’s salary bill has been under intense scrutiny in recent seasons.
With an incredible £180 million spent on wages alone last season, the Red Devils had the second-highest wage bill in the Premier League; only rivals Manchester City spent more.
Ruben Amorim was given the duty of lowering that amount throughout the summer, and on the day of the deadline, he partially succeeded.
The club consented to loan Jadon Sancho to Aston Villa for the 2025–2026 season, with Unai Emery’s team covering 80% of the winger’s £250,000 weekly salary.
However, the hierarchy would’ve likely spent some of those funds saved had they agreed a deal for one of the numerous targets who were on their radar during the summer transfer window.
United’s move to land Wharton & Baleba this summer
Adam Wharton of Crystal Palace was the focus of a deal that was pursued during the transfer window as United sought a fresh midfield player for the team.
The Red Devils were reportedly interested in signing the England international, but after Amorim’s team received a price tag of almost £100 million, a move was deemed unlikely.
Carlos Baleba of Brighton & Hove Albion was another option they looked at, even starting negotiations with the player’s agents about a move to Old Trafford.
The player himself seemed to be open to switching to the Red Devils at one point, but, similar to Wharton, he remained with his current employers after the Seagulls said he was not for sale.
Whilst the hierarchy were unable to land a new midfielder for Amorim, they still have a player on the books who desperately needs to be sold in the near future.
The United player who earns more than Wharton and Baleba
United now has a number of elite players on its roster, and Kobbie Mainoo, an academy graduate, is just one of the choices available to Amorim.
The Englishman, however, has struggled to get minutes over the past few months, starting none of the Premier League games; his lone start came in the Carabao Cup against Grimsby.
Therefore, prior to Monday’s deadline, the 20-year-old expressed his feelings and asked to temporarily depart Old Trafford in order to acquire vital playing time.
In the hierarchy, he now lags behind Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte, while Amorim obviously trusts Brazilian Casemiro more than Mainoo.
The former Real Madrid player, who signed a £60 million contract in the summer of 2022, has seen a sharp drop in recent years as he approaches the end of his career at the age of 33.
Casemiro has started all three league games despite his advanced age, but he hasn’t impressed thus far, completing just 80% of his passes in the top division of England.
The player only has one contract left at Old Trafford, so even if he recently started for Amorim, his future seems uncertain.
Given how poorly he performed during the last campaign, which led Mark Goldbridge to call him “shocking,” he definitely ought to have been let go earlier.
His current £350k-per-week pay packet is way above what he should be earning – with such a figure making him the highest earner in the squad, taking home a staggering £18.2m per season.
| Man Utd’s highest earners (2025/26) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Rank | Player | Gross pay per week |
| 1 | Casemiro | £350,000 |
| =2 | Bruno Fernandes | £300,000 |
| 3 | Jadon Sancho | £250,000 |
| 4 | Matthijs de Ligt | £195,000 |
| 5 | Harry Maguire | £190,000 |
| 6 | Matheus Cunha | £180,000 |
| Stats via Capology | ||
The Brazilian today makes more money than Wharton and Baleba, who only make £35k and £12.5k a week, respectively. This shows how much the former Madrid star is currently overvalued.
Given his enormous income, United must immediately pay the player off, and they must put a strong push on their ongoing cost-cutting efforts.
Amorim should try to sign one of the aforementioned players again soon because there are so many better and more affordable choices in European football right now.
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