Manchester United FFP position as Everton punished and Man City face wait

The international break can sometimes lead to a club football malaise with attention focused elsewhere. Not this time.

The past week saw Everton docked 10 points for breaching the Premier League's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, sending them plummeting into the bottom three and prompting talk and speculation around what might happen to Manchester City, charged in February with breaching dozens of financial rules dating back to the 2009/10 season. Chelsea, too, could face punishment.

FFP has dominated the football news agenda and will no doubt be the focus of many a news conference in the build up to this weekend's top flight fixtures. For Manchester United, three points against Everton is the priority while off the field the expected confirmation of Sir Jim Ratcliffe taking a stake in the club could change the financial landscape.

ALSO READ: Why United shouldn't expect fireworks with Sir Jim Ratcliffe in January transfer window

ALSO READ: The Glazer family have done what everyone expected during United takeover process

It is unlikely to yield a warchest in the transfer market and the recent FFP focus will have underlined the importance of spending within means. The Premier League rules state clubs cannot lose more than £105million over a three year period but with exemptions for infrastructure, women's football and youth development, while United were one of several European clubs fined by UEFA for committing financial fair play breaches over a four-year period between 2019 and 2022. The Reds were fined €300,000 (£257,000) for what the club described as 'a minor break-even deficit.'

From a European standpoint, UEFA introduced new rules in June 2022 which when they take full effect in 2025/26 will mean only 70%