Manchester United have begun a new era with the arrival of Joshua Zirkzee as their first signing of the 2024 summer window. This is the first major transfer window in which co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s newly-created management structure will be taking control of the football-related business.
Not only have the Red Devils struck a smart deal (£35.8 million paid over three years), but the new management has also sent a statement with Zirkzee’s rumored wages.
Over the years, United have been often ridiculed for handing ridiculously high wages to their players in a desperate attempt to attract talent.
But it seems that ploy has not been used with someone like Zirkzee. The Dutchman is reportedly going to earn a salary of around £5 million (before tax) every year over the course of his five-year contract. This comes to just over £100,000-a-week, which is less than the average Manchester United player’s salary (£123,000-a-week) last season in the senior squad.
Of course Zirkzee will have no problem with this kind of salary structure at all. He reportedly earned under £20,000-a-week at Bologna last season and is going to get nearly five times that amount going forward with the Red Devils. But when it comes to fixing their own salary structure, the Manchester United hierarchy appears to be taking smart steps.
The new CEO Omar Berrada or sporting director Dan Ashworth can’t legally reshape the structure of expensive contracts in the squad. Zirkzee’s salary probably looks quite low when comparing with some of the other ones at Old Trafford. Casemiro reportedly earns around £18 million-a-year at the club and he underperformed badly in the 2023/24 season.
Antony, who scored just three goals last season, earns a £10.4 million salary package at Old Trafford. Jadon Sancho didn’t even play much last season and he gets £13 million. When comparing with some of these crazy salaries for underperforming players, the one given to Zirkzee looks like a real steal in a sense.
The Manchester United fanbase is pleased with the new wage structure that the new management is trying to implement. The fact that Zirkzee is getting a lower wage than what was the average salary of the senior squad last season has delighted supporters.
The fans are also pleased with how the Red Devils hierarchy have given Zirkzee a relatively low base salary and added lucrative incentives to the deal. That gives the 23-year-old forward enough hunger to contribute to many goals and win matches for United to get those bonuses.
There is also a sense of excitement that this relatively lowly salary give Zirkzee the hunger to prove that he deserves more by scoring 20+ goals next season and potentially force the hierarchy to increase his wages next year. The 23-year-old has been brought in as the de-facto replacement for the departed Anthony Martial, whose last appearance for United was in December, 2023.
Zirkzee is not just a younger and more robust alternative to Martial, but also a cheaper addition to their financial books. Martial reportedly earned £250,000-a-week at Old Trafford, and Zirkzee is poised to get lesser than half that amount. This is a win-win for the Red Devils management and shows that the times-are-a-changing in ending the culture of overpaying players at the club.