Manchester United may have become the first British club with revenue of more than half a billion a year but when it comes to player power they will still be writing off £6.7m for Bastian Schweinsteiger, following the player’s exclusion from the Europa League squad.
The former World Cup winner, has been told by Mourinho that he doesn’t figure in his long-term plans for the club and has been told to train with the junior players. The former German captain had arrived last summer from Bayern Munich.
In the club’s latest published accounts, it was announced that Manchester United have a total revenue of £515.3 million ($683.5m) for the year ending June 30, 2016, as reported in Espnfc. The club also posted a record profit of around £68m.
The German’s write-off has been listed under “exceptional items" which is related to “registrations impairment charge” regarding a reduction in the carrying value of a player no longer considered being a member of the first team playing squad. According to Press Association Sports reports, Schweinsteiger is the individual who could not be included as an asset.
The German spent 13 years at Bayern Munich having come through the ranks before joining Manchester United last summer. He also played a vital role in the German team’s World Cup win in Brazil, 2014. Adored by the fans at Bayern, Bastian would have expected a similar environment at Old Trafford as well.
However, injuries and the arrival of Mourinho has only made matters worse for the German.
Mourinho was appointed by the club this summer after the tumultuous reign of Luis Van Gaal, which ended with an FA Cup win for the Dutchman. The Portuguese since then has invested heavily in the squad adding the likes of Paul Pogba, Henrikh Mkhitaryan as well as defender Eric Bailly. The addition of Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic has also strengthened the squad.
Speaking to the press, Ed Woodward, the executive vice-chairman was of the view that the club was on target to achieve record revenues for the year 2017, even without the presence of Champion’s League football.
United who had agreed a 10 year £750m ($1.28 billion) contract with Adidas in 2014, have already started reaping the benefits this season. Citing strong financial returns as the pedestal from which the club can invest in more players, he hoped that the club would be able to challenge the top clubs on and off the pitch.
