Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks on during the award ceremony following the UEFA Europa League final football match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Manchester United
Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks on during the award ceremony following the UEFA Europa League final football match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Manchester United
Manchester United will be able to splash the cash over the next two transfer windows after an expected mass exodus.
That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider that Man United have very little option but to increase the club's wage bill.
The Red Devils, reportedly, have the fourth-highest wage bill in the Premier League, lower than Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal right now.
Undoubtedly, this has had an impact on the pitch, with Michael Carrick potentially now facing losing his job at Old Trafford due to a low-quality squad.
The 45-year-old is expected to be in the dugout against Bournemouth on Sunday, 25 October, but the walls are closing in after the 4-1 loss to Como.
Instead of blaming the manager, though, fans have been quick to point the finger at the owners, who have prioritised finances over success on the pitch.
Man United's wage bill could go back up this summer
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson believes that Man United have no other option but to invest heavily in the upcoming transfer windows.
"Over the last few windows they've been reducing the wage bill. The wage bill will be corrected by a lot of players leaving in the summer," he said.
"But they're going to have to spend very, very materially, I think, in January and next summer under whichever manager to actually bring the wage bill back up.
"That should be with established players, but then they've got the question of what transfer fees are they prepared to pay or whether they're just going to pursue the old-style Tottenham Hotspur strategy, a Daniel Levy strategy."
Even Tottenham have broken free of Levy's model this summer, with the likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke costing a fortune.
Which players could free up wages for Man United?
Players who should be sold or released, and those are won't be at Old Trafford next season are two completely different things, frustratingly.
Harry Maguire, 33, Luke Shaw, 31, Joshua Zirkzee, 25, and Mason Mount, 27, all need to find new clubs, with their wages hindering United on the pitch.
Bruno Fernandes' future is also up in the air, and if the 32-year-old is to sign a new contract, that would be a huge chunk out of the club's finances.
Altay Bayindir and Andre Onana both need to be sold once they return from their season-long loans, so there is plenty of business to be done over the next few months.