Manchester United are very close to qualifying for the Champions League, a competition that, for the Red Devils in the days of Sir Alex Ferguson, was a kind of second home and that, after his departure in 2013, has been played by the Red Devils only six times. All very nice and even right, from a certain point of view, were it not for the fact that this return (two years after their last participation) could cost United quite a lot of money. Yes, you read that correctly: the verb “cost” might seem like a paradox, after all we are talking about a tournament that guarantees around 50 million euros just for access to the League Phase, but at Old Trafford things often tend to go differently.
That is also the case this time: as analysed by the BBC, United have a seven-point lead over Chelsea, the team currently sixth in the table, and a draw in the head-to-head match will effectively be enough to seal qualification for the Champions League. At the same time, however, this very good result could change the fate of Onana, Rashford and Hojlund, the big names sent out on loan to other clubs. While the Danish centre-forward’s permanent move to Napoli seems almost a foregone conclusion, for Rashford and Onana the situation is more complicated. And it is here, right at this point, that United could lose a lot of money.
As mentioned, both Rashford and Onana are out on loan, the former at Barcelona and the latter at Trabzonspor. The Cameroonian goalkeeper has found continuity, making 26 appearances and contributing to the team’s third place in the league, as well as qualification for the quarter-finals of the Turkish Cup. Rashford’s path has been similar too, as he moved to Barcelona after being excluded from the technical plans of Ruben Amorim, the former United manager later replaced by Carrick.: the English forward has played 26 matches in total across league and cups, scoring six goals in La Liga, where the Blaugrana lead the table with a wide margin over Real Madrid. Qualification for the Champions League would trigger an automatic 25% increase in their wages, as provided for by contractual clauses frequently used by United’s executives. While on the one hand the club considers this cost sustainable thanks to the greater European revenues, on the other the measure risks complicating possible sales, especially for players outside the technical project.