Exciting times should be ahead for the Manchester United faithful after a rather disappointing campaign so far, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe now in charge.
Erik ten Hag’s team has underperformed all season long, however, with an exit from Europe and their current position in sixth place proving that.
It’s expected that it will be a busy summer at Old Trafford, with plenty of incoming and outgoings, but there’s already been one arrival in the form of former Manchester City figure Omar Berrada, whose task will be to keep a lid on player wages.
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With that in mind, let’s take a look at a current Red who’s earning more than Alejandro Garnacho and Rasmus Hojlund combined.
What Garnacho and Hojlund earn at Man Utd
At just 19 and 21 years old, Garnacho and Hojlund have become two of United’s most important players this campaign, thriving in attack for Ten Hag.
The Dane is the Red Devils' top goalscorer this season across all competitions, with 13 goals, while also winning the February Premier League Player of the Month award after bagging in all of his last six league games.
The number 17 has also been immense this campaign, scoring seven times and picking up three assists, which are very respectable numbers for someone with such little experience.
Despite being irreplaceable and vital to the way Ten Hag’s team plays, Hojlund earns £85k-per-week, and Garnacho is paid £50k-per-week, which is nothing compared to the top earner, Casemiro, who takes home a rather eyewatering £350k every seven days.
Combined, the weekly wages of their two young stars equates to £135k per week, which is actually less than what a certain United outcast earns, as per Capology.
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ByTom Lever Christian Eriksen’s salary at Man Utd
Last season, Christian Eriksen joined Man United on a free transfer from Brentford after impressing on his return to the Premier League under Thomas Frank, with five goal contributions in ten starts.
The Dane became a vital player for Ten Hag, often being the first-choice partner for Casemiro in a slightly deeper role. Yet, the number 14 was still able to work his magic, picking up eight assists over 28 games.
An injury in January saw Eriksen miss just over two months of action and 18 matches, but he recovered swiftly, finishing the season with no issues.
The 32-year-old also started this campaign well, scoring and assisting in the first four games, but a knee injury in November kept him out for eight matches, and since then, he’s failed to return to the standards he once showed, sitting on the bench in eight of United’s last nine matches.
#1 Casemiro
£350k
#2 Raphael Varane
£340k
#3 Mason Mount
£250k
#4 Antony
£200k
#5 Christian Eriksen
£150k
Nonetheless, as you can see by the table above, Eriksen is currently earning £150k-per-week, which is £15k more than Garnacho and Hojlund’s combined wage.
Unfortunately, Eriksen’s performance levels have decreased significantly as of late, which makes his wage seem expensive, with football creator Liam Canning particularly keen on letting the former Ajax player go, stating in January that “Eriksen needs to be replaced.”
The fact that Eriksen struggles with covering ground and the defensive side of the game, as shown by his per-game stats of 1.2 duels won, 0.9 tackles, and 0.2 interceptions, means that United often get overrun in the middle of the park when the Denmark international plays.
Overall, not only does this show that United have done well to keep Hojlund’s and Garnacho’s wages low, but it also highlights how much they are overpaying Eriksen, who’s surely going to be sold in the future given his lack of involvement in recent weeks.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast's Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.