Cristiano Ronaldo faces pay cut if he stays at Manchester United

As if things are not going badly enough at Manchester United, it has now been revealed that the players, including superstar forward Cristiano Ronaldo, are about to lose about a quarter of their wages. The pay cuts will happen as a result of the squad's failure to make it to the top four in the Premier League, which mean they have also failed to qualify into the group stage of the UEFA Champions League.

The 4-0 loss against Brighton over the weekend meant that Ralf Rangnick's men are now officially out of the race to secure one of the top four spots. As it stands, Manchester City and Liverpool are a long way ahead with 86 and 83 points respectively. Chelsea and Arsenal are battling for third place, with the Blues holding 67 points just narrowly ahead of the Gunners with 66 points.

Tottenham are in fifth place with 62 points, with United a further 4 points behind. However, the Red Devils have played two games more than all the teams in front. Missing out on Champions League football also means that the club will be losing out on a lot of potential revenue.

According to Marca, the losses will be reflected in the players' salaries. As an example, Ronaldo could potentially see his earnings reduced from £385,000 a week to just £288,000, Because of this, speculations are rife that the Portuguese star could be looking at another shock move this summer.

However, not many clubs can afford Ronaldo, considering both his wages and the money that needs to be paid to United for his release. The player may agree to a pay cut if he is able to play in a club that will be chasing titles. He has been linked with a move back to the Santiago Bernabeu, but that may only happen if Kyian Mbappe decides to stay in Paris.

The club will also face some difficulty attracting fresh talent, with limited resources and no Champions League football. New manager Eric ten Hag will have his work cut out for him once he takes the reins next season.