Manchester United stars set for 25 per cent wage cut

Manchester United's failure to qualify for the Champions League will see their players hit in the pocket - with some stars seeing their salaries drop by a quarter.

The Old Trafford club can no longer finish in the Premier League top four this season following their 4-0 drubbing at Brighton on Saturday evening.

And another disappointing campaign will have financial consequences because of the way United structure their player contracts.

Up to a quarter of wages are taken away if United do not earn a place in Europe's elite club competition, a move designed to protect the club from the drop in revenue that results from not qualifying.

United will earn significantly less in prize money and broadcast revenue if they instead play in the UEFA Europa League or UEFA Europa Conference League next season.

So star man Cristiano Ronaldo faces a reduction in his weekly wage from £385,000 to around £288,000 if he stays for next season - the lowest salary the 37-year-old has earned in some years.

Ronaldo had already accepted a substantial pay cut from the £500,000-a-week he made at Juventus in order to complete a romantic return to Old Trafford at the beginning of the season.

The club's second-highest earner, goalkeeper David de Gea, stands to see his pay cut from £375,000-a-week to around the £281,000-a-week mark.

Players are able to negotiate for a lesser reduction but United have made no secret of this policy, with wage reductions mentioned in their annual results. 

The maximum prize money available in the Champions League for the 2021-22 season is £71.66million, with the reward for winning the competition standing at £16.83m, though the exact figures depend on the value of the TV market.

By contrast, the maximum the Europa League