Revealed: Manchester United's clever contract clause designed to avoid another Marcus Rashford saga

Manchester United have spent much of the last ten years struggling to offload underperforming or fringe players because of universal clauses that saw salaries skyrocket upon Champions League qualification. Traditionally, the Old Trafford hierarchy applied a 25 per cent pay increase across the entire squad whenever elite European football was secured.

First reported by The Telegraph, Ineos introduced a new contract structure in late 2023 for future signings and renewals to regain control of United's wage bill. Under this revamped policy, the 25 per cent wage boost following Champions League qualification is no longer guaranteed for everyone in the dressing room; instead, players must now log at least 60 per cent of competitive minutes across a campaign to trigger the pay rise, according to The Sun. This shift ensures that only those who contribute significantly on the pitch reap the financial rewards of the club's success.

The necessity of this change is highlighted by the ongoing situation surrounding Marcus Rashford. The England forward remains one of United’s highest earners and has reportedly turned away offers in the past because he is unwilling to take a pay cut elsewhere. Crucially, his current five-year contract was agreed in July 2023, just before the club formalised these new wage restrictions.

Despite being on loan at Barcelona last season and not contributing to United getting back into the Champions League, Rashford is still set to pocket £4 million this summer due to a clause in his contract. This scenario is exactly what the new 60 per cent threshold is designed to prevent.

The benefits of the new system are already becoming apparent when looking at the cases of Joshua Zirkzee and Manuel Ugarte. Zirkzee missed the required playing threshold last season, meaning his salary remains unchanged heading into the new term - a scenario that works directly to United’s advantage in managing their wage bill.

Ugarte also missed the threshold, having logged under a third of available minutes last term. His financial impact on the club is further mitigated following a recent setback; though a serious knee injury ruined any summer transfer plans, FIFA is covering his £120,000-a-week wages while he recovers, as the injury occurred on World Cup duty.

Other players from the previous era continue to pose a challenge for the recruitment team. André Onana’s latest loan to Turkey proved less lucrative for United due to his pay bump, setting up another contract headache when he enters his final year next summer.

Mason Mount’s career at Old Trafford has been heavily disrupted by injuries, managing just 25 Premier League starts across three years. Having played in only about 30 per cent of United’s minutes last season, the former England midfielder would not have qualified for the Champions League salary uplift under the new set-up. Under the old rules, however, his lack of game time did not stop his wages from increasing, further complicating any potential exit strategy if the club decided to move in a different direction.