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Manchester United kicked off the 2018/19 season in a passable fashion as they secured an unconvincing victory against Leicester City in their opening Premier League fixture. However, the match against Brighton was a major disappointment for the Red Devils as they suffered a humiliating defeat at the Amex stadium.
Manchester United is arguably the most successful English club, who can easily boast of an illustrious history, especially in the Premier League era. Nevertheless, their performances in the recent seasons have been below-par considering the club's high standards.
The Premier League giants are the most valuable club in the world presently having overtaken the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Consequently, it goes without saying, that the players who ply their trade at Old Trafford earn lavish sums in return for their services.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the weekly wages of top Manchester United first team stars:
Data courtesy: www.totalsportek.com
#25 Lee Grant, £20,000 per week
Lee Grant has joined Manchester United this summer after penning a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee, which was reported to be around £1.5 million. The move came as a shock to many and the reason behind it remains unclear bearing in mind that United already have two quality goalkeepers in the form of David de Gea and Sergio Romero. The third-choice keeper is currently earning £20,000 a week.
#24 Scott McTominay, £25,000 per week
Scott McTominay is a 21-year old central midfielder who was promoted to the senior team in 2017, having spent about 15 years in the club's youth academy. The youngster made 23 outings across all competitions last year and is deemed to be one for the future.
#23 Marcus Rashford, £45,000 per week
Marcus Rashford is one of the most exciting prospects in world football following his emergence in the latter part of the 2016-17 season that earned him immense fame and plaudits. The young English striker ended last season with 13 goals across all competitions, as he was named in the 23-man England national team squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
#22 Sergio Romero, £50,000 per week
Sergio Romero joined Manchester United as a free agent in July 2015 and is currently the club's second-choice keeper. Last year, the Argentine penned a new deal with the Red Devils that has extended his contract until 2021. During his 3-year stint at the Old Trafford, Romero has made a total of 38 appearances.
#21 Phil Jones, £50,000 per week
The English centre-back has been a valuable asset for Manchester United in the past half-decade. However, his form has gone downhill as evidenced by the 2017-18 season, which has resulted in Victor Lindelöf receiving the green light ahead of him in both the Premier League games this season.
#20 Diogo Dalot, £50,000 per week
Diogo Dalot was one of the few signings Manchester United were able to clinch in the ongoing transfer window. The young right-back has signed a five-year contract with the Premier League outfit that sees him remain at the Old Trafford until 2023.
#19 Jesse Lingard, £50,000 per week
Jesse Lingard had a breakthrough campaign last term after whiling away a couple of loan spells in EFL Championship. The 25-year-old was also a part of England's squad for the World Cup at Russia and also registered a goal and an assist. In the 2017/18 season, he scored 13 goals in 48 outings.
#18 Matteo Darmian, £60,000 per week
Matteo Darmian was heavily linked with a move away from Manchester United this summer after several Italian clubs including the likes of Juventus, Inter, and Milan showed interest in the right-back. All the same, he stayed at the club as the primary objective of his jettisoning was to fund the signing of a central defender, which never happened. The Italy international's contract with United runs out next year.
#17 Luke Shaw, £70,000 per week
In the recent seasons, Luke Shaw had fallen down the pecking order at Manchester United after he emerged as a promising talent on the left-hand side of the defence. Nevertheless, he has started in both the Premier League games this season and even scored the winner against Leicester City in United's opening encounter.
#16 Eric Bailly, £75,000 per week
Eric Bailly is another fixture in Manchester United's starting line-up who starred in both the Premier League games this season, in tandem with Victor Lindelof. However, he had a poor showing versus Brighton last week and was one of the key reasons for United's ignominious loss. The 24-year-old was also responsible for the penalty in the first half that later turned out to be decisive.
#15 Victor Lindelof, £75,000 per week
Lindelof signed for Manchester United last summer for a fee in the region of £35 million, but he only managed 17 appearances in the Premier League last term. As a result, the Old Trafford crowd was hoping to see more of him this season and Jose Mourinho has obliged by starting him in both of United's games thus far. Nonetheless, the Sweden international failed to make the grade along with Eric Bailly and was another cause of United's collapse against Brighton.
#14 Ander Herrera, £75,000 per week
Under Jose Mourinho, Ander Herrera was a regular in Manchester United's starting line-up alongside Paul Pogba before Nemanja Matic's arrival. The Serbian's presence at the Old Trafford significantly reduced Herrera's game time last season. This season, the signing of Fred has further stiffened the competition in Manchester United's midfield, which could be another deterrent in the 29-year-old's pursuit of opportunities.
#13 Anthony Martial, £75,000 per week
There is absolutely no doubt that Anthony Martial is a profoundly gifted player, who can comfortably run riot when on song. However, the way he has been treated at Manchester United in the seasons gone by has negatively affected his form, which precipitated his want for a move away from the Red Devils this summer. Nevertheless, he is expected to stay at the club at least for now.
#12 Chris Smalling, £80,000 per week
Smalling enjoyed a remarkable campaign last season but his place in the starting XI was put in jeopardy by Jose Mourinho's hot pursuit of a central defender during this summer window. Even though the move never transpired, the Englishman's berth has been usurped by Lindelof this season.
#11 Marcos Rojo, £80,000 per week
Marcos Rojo was one more player who was constantly rumoured to be on the verge of bidding adieu to Manchester United this summer. As a matter of fact, Mourinho desperately wanted to sign a new central defender in the just ended transfer window and had to free up some room in the first team, which explains his desire to part ways with the Argentine.
#10 Antonio Valencia, £100,000 per week
Initially signed by Alex Ferguson in 2009 as a right winger, Valencia has since transformed himself into a top-notch right-back. The 33-year-old has been permanently awarded the captain's armband following Michael Carrick's retirement. He is one of the players whose contract runs out next summer.
#9 Marouane Fellaini, £100,000 per week
Recently, Marouane Fellaini penned a contract extension that sees him at Manchester United until 2020 despite Arsenal, Besiktas and an unknown Chinese club keeping close tabs on him. The Belgium international, known for his towering presence, also participated in the World Cup in Russia and led his national side to a respectable third-place finish.
#8 Ashley Young, £110,000 per week
The 33-year old Englishman has been an excellent servant for United for the past eight years. When Ashley Young was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson in 2011, he used to play as a winger, but soon morphed himself into a full-back and a pretty good one too. In the match against Brighton, he was deployed as a right-back in place of Matteo Darmian.
#7 Nemanja Matic, £120,000 per week
Nemanja Matic had a stellar debut season at Old Trafford although Manchester United's substandard finish in the 2017/18 season does not license us to extol the virtues of their players. The 30-year-old was unable to start in the first two matches this season in the wake of an injury, but he has reportedly returned to training a few days ago.
#6 Fred, £120,000 per week
Perhaps, Manchester United's shrewdest signing of the season, Fred was signed by the Red Devils after they coughed up £52m to prise him away from Shakhtar Donetsk. Nevertheless, he will take some time to settle in England if his recent performances are anything to go by.
#5 Juan Mata, £140,000 per week
Juan Mata has already entered into the last year of his contract with Manchester United and the 30-year-old might soon be offloaded if he keeps playing like he did against Brighton. The 30-year-old looked out of his depth throughout the first half and struggled to provide any form of support to Ashley Young before getting substituted at half-time.
#4 David de Gea, £200,000 per week
By virtue of his sterling performances in the seasons gone by, David de Gea has stamped his authority as one of the best goalkeepers in the world. The Spaniard is also currently embroiled in a transfer saga as he is reluctant to extend his contract, which runs out next year. Apparently, both the parties are unable to come to an agreement with regard to de Gea's wages.
#3 Romelu Lukaku, £200,000 per week
Unlike Manchester United's campaign as a whole, Romelu Lukaku produced an admirable first season at Old Trafford as the Belgian notched up 27 goals in 51 appearances across all competitions. The 25-year-old also scored a goal against Brighton last weekend to open his account for this season.
#2 Paul Pogba, £290,000 per week
Many would have expected Pogba to be the highest earning Manchester United player, but that is seemingly not the case here. The France international, who recently inspired his national side to a historic World Cup glory, earns £290,000 every week and ranks second in this list. In United's initial games, he also skippered the team owing to Antonio Valencia's absence.
#1 Alexis Sanchez, £350,000 per week
Alexis Sanchez is not only Manchester United's highest paid player but is also one of the highest earning players in the football world, following his departure from Arsenal in this year's winter transfer window. However, he has failed to live up to his billing since joining the Red Devils and, in turn, has not justified his whopping price tag yet. Only time will tell whether he can bring his A-game in the future games.
