PSRwatchPSRwatch
Back to the board
Model updated: 12 Sept 2026
Manchester United logo

Manchester United

Squad · 2026/27 spending-room estimate

CompareOpen calculator
Below GreenFinancial forecast

Manchester United squad, player by player

Per-player wages are gross fixed salaries from public sources, or a labelled estimate where no salary is published. Fees are reported transfer fees where one is in evidence. This table is a decomposition: the squad-cost estimate on the Briefing stays anchored to the club's own accounts, and the difference is stated here rather than hidden.

Annual squad cost (player rows)
£445m

Ledger total for 31 players. The club's accounts-anchored squad cost is £488m.

How this is calculated
sum of 31 rows: wages £219m + amortisation £227m = £445m club squad cost (accounts-anchored) = £488m

What the named players cost in a year on the ledger's own figures. The club's squad-cost test uses the accounts-anchored figure, which this table decomposes rather than replaces.

  • Wages (reported salaries plus bounded estimates)£219m · 49%
  • Annual transfer-fee cost£227m · 51%

The three most expensive players carry £76m, 17% of the ledger total. Wages are 49% of it; the rest is past transfer spend still being written down.

Reconciliation: the rows account for £219m of the £239m wage line and £227m of the £227m amortisation charge; the residuals (£21m and £0m) are stated below the table, never absorbed.

Wage distribution
£7m mean

Median £7m. Estimated wages are shown as ranges in the table.

How this is calculated
mean = £219m / 31 players = £7m median = £7m

Mean versus median shows how top-heavy the wage bill is: a mean well above the median means a few contracts dominate.

  • under £2m2 players · 6%
  • £2m-£5m4 players · 13%
  • £5m-£10m (8 estimated)20 players · 65%
  • £10m-£15m (1 estimated)3 players · 10%
  • £15m+2 players · 6%

Fairly flat: the mean (£7m) sits close to the median (£7m), so the bill is spread across the squad rather than concentrated in a few contracts.

22 of 31 wages are reported gross salaries; 9 are bounded PSRwatch estimates shown as ranges. None is an official figure.

Book value remaining
£760m

Unamortised transfer cost still on the books. This is not what the squad is worth.

How this is calculated
sum of remaining book value across 31 rows = £760m (annual charge x seasons left, per player)

This is not what the squad is worth. Book value is the part of past transfer fees not yet written down; a sale above it is book profit, below it a loss.

  • From reported fees (accounting run-off)£560m · 74%
  • Apportioned from the club charge (no fee in evidence)£200m · 26%

£25m of book value sits on contracts that end this season, so it either runs off or is re-based by a renewal. No loan-in players are on the ledger.

Book value on players whose fee is not in evidence is an apportionment of the club's filed charge, labelled MODELLED in the table. Loans do not pause amortisation for the club that owns the registration.

31 playersAnnual cost £445mAverage age 25.4Expiring 9On loan in 0Estimated wages 9Sorted by annual squad cost, highest first
  • Annual squad cost
    £26m
    Wage
    £10m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £16m
    Book value
    £64m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £25m
    Wage
    £9m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £16m
    Book value
    £62m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £25m
    Wage
    £16m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £9mapportioned
    Book value
    £19m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £24m
    Wage
    £8m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £16mapportioned
    Book value
    £82m
    Contract
    5 seasons left
  • Bruno FernandesAMexpiring
    31 · PortugalModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £24m
    Wage
    £16m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £8mapportioned
    Book value
    £8m
    Contract
    expiring
  • 27 · CameroonModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £24m
    Wage
    £8m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £16m
    Book value
    £63m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • 20 · FranceModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £23m
    Wage
    £6m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £17m
    Book value
    £52m
    Contract
    3 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £23m
    Wage
    £7m-£14mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £13m
    Book value
    £64m
    Contract
    5 seasons left
  • 27 · NetherlandsModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £23m
    Wage
    £10m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £13m
    Book value
    £38m
    Contract
    3 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £20m
    Wage
    £6m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £14m
    Book value
    £42m
    Contract
    3 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £19m
    Wage
    £6m-£12mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £9m
    Book value
    £47m
    Contract
    5 seasons left
  • 25 · NetherlandsModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £17m
    Wage
    £5m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £12m
    Book value
    £36m
    Contract
    3 seasons left
  • 24 · Cote d'IvoireModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £17m
    Wage
    £6m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £11mapportioned
    Book value
    £42m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • 28 · ArgentinaModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £17m
    Wage
    £6m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £11mapportioned
    Book value
    £11m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Annual squad cost
    £16m
    Wage
    £6m-£12mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £7m
    Book value
    £34m
    Contract
    5 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £14m
    Wage
    £8m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £6mapportioned
    Book value
    £12m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £13m
    Wage
    £7m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £6m
    Book value
    £13m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • 27 · PortugalModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £11m
    Wage
    £4m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £7mapportioned
    Book value
    £14m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • Harry MaguireCBexpiring
    33 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £11m
    Wage
    £9m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £2mapportioned
    Book value
    £2m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Luke ShawLBexpiring
    31 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £10m
    Wage
    £8m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £2mapportioned
    Book value
    £2m
    Contract
    expiring
  • 23 · Northern IrelandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £9m
    Wage
    £4m-£9mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £2mapportioned
    Book value
    £4m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £8m
    Wage
    £2m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £6m
    Book value
    £25m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • 19 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £8m
    Wage
    £4m-£9mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £1mapportioned
    Book value
    £4m
    Contract
    3 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £8m
    Wage
    £3m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £4m
    Book value
    £18m
    Contract
    4 seasons left
  • Annual squad cost
    £7m
    Wage
    £5m-£10mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £0m
    Book value
    £0m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Jack FletcherAMexpiring
    19 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £7m
    Wage
    £4m-£9mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £0mapportioned
    Book value
    £0m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Tyler FletcherCMexpiring
    19 · ScotlandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £6m
    Wage
    £4m-£8mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £0mapportioned
    Book value
    £0m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Annual squad cost
    £5m
    Wage
    £3m-£7mest
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £0mfree/loan
    Book value
    £0m
    Contract
    2 seasons left
  • Tom HeatonGKexpiring
    40 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £2m
    Wage
    £2m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £0mapportioned
    Book value
    £0m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Harry AmassLBexpiring
    19 · EnglandModel a sale
    Annual squad cost
    £2m
    Wage
    £0m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £2mapportioned
    Book value
    £2m
    Contract
    expiring
  • Annual squad cost
    £2m
    Wage
    £1m
    Annual transfer-fee cost
    £1m
    Book value
    £2m
    Contract
    3 seasons left

Wage labels: reported salaries are gross fixed pay from a public source; estimated wages are bounded PSRwatch ranges capped at the club's highest reported salary. Apportioned amortisation is a share of the club's filed charge, not a reported fee.

Reconciliation to the accounts£21m of wages and £0m of amortisation unallocated
Wages
Player rows (22 reported, 9 estimated)
£219m
Player and head-coach wage line (from accounts)
£239m
Unallocated: bonuses, employer NI, image rights, head coach
£21m
Annual transfer-fee cost
Player rows (15 reported fees, 15 apportioned, 1 free or loan)
£227m
Club charge (filed, grown forward)
£227m
Unallocated
£0m

The club totals come from the accounts; this table never replaces them. The squad-cost test on the Compliance tab uses the club figures.

Squad analysis

Amortisation wall: when past transfer fees stop being charged

£760m of book value still to be charged across 29 players. The annual charge falls below half of this season's by 2030/31. This season's £227m is 26 points of the squad-cost ratio.

Annual amortisation by season (£m)£227m2026/278 roll off£202m2027/285 roll off£172m2028/296 roll off£114m2029/306 roll off£45m2030/314 roll off
from reported feesapportioned from the club chargeAccounting basis; no regulatory-cap column until the rule is sourced.

Contract cliff: what expires, and the wages at stake

36% of the ledger's annual cost sits on contracts ending within two seasons. Expiring wages either fall away or must be renewed; expiring book value runs off by then.

Annual wages on contracts ending each season (£m)£60m2026/279 players£47m2027/286 players£36m2028/296 players£39m2029/306 players£37m2030/314 players

Age profile against cost

Average age 25.4; weighted by cost, 25.4. 5 players aged 30 or over carry £52m (12% of annual cost). 1 without a reported age.

Annual squad cost by age band (£m)£48munder 216 pl.£110m21-236 pl.£62m24-264 pl.£167m27-299 pl.£33m30-322 pl.£18m33+3 pl.

Cost concentration

Top 3
17%

£76m

Top 5
28%

£124m

Top 10
53%

£237m

10 players account for half of the ledger's annual cost. Top three: Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Marcus Rashford.

Loan exposure

No player on the ledger is recorded as loaned out this window.

Every player links to a page with the full financial story (contract, wages, amortisation run-off, book value, transfer history). See the whole league on the players table. Want to test a sale or a signing against these numbers? Open the Manchester United calculator.

PSRwatch is independent. Figures are unofficial estimates from public filings, transfer data and PSRwatch modelling. They are not endorsed by the Premier League, EFL, UEFA or any club.