Man Utd repeating old mistakes by breaking Ronaldo rule with Rashford deal

Suraj Radia

• 21 Jun 2023 21:25 BST
• 3 min read

Marcus Rashford is close to signing a new contract with Manchester United that could see him become one of the highest-paid players at the club and in the Premier League.

The 25-year-old is into the final year of his current deal at Old Trafford, where he is believed to be on £250,000-per-week, but he is set to receive a pay rise that could see him earn £370k-a-week alongside teammates such as Jadon Sancho, David de Gea and Raphael Varane.

Rashford netted a career-high 30 times in all competitions last season and United will be breathing a sigh of relief in having secured the long-term future of their academy graduate, having encountered interest in the England international from the likes of Paris Saint-Germain.

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Tying Rashford down to a new deal was imperative for United, with the club already short on attacking quality, but the decision to hand the forward a significant salary bump perhaps reflects the desperation of the situation and the reliance on their talisman.

United already have one of the highest wage bills in the league despite ten years without a Premier League title and continuing to add to their outlay instead of economising puts the club in a difficult position going forward in regards to squad building, player motivation and an eventual takeover.

Rashford under pressure to perform like his Premier League compatriots

The likes of De Gea and Sancho have seen their form decline during their time at United yet the club have no ability to sell players on such high wages and instead are tied into long-term, unjustifiable contracts.

Rashford now becomes one of the biggest earners in the league alongside the likes of Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah, players who have long-term pedigree and a history of leading their sides to trophies.

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While Rashford has proven himself among the league’s elite, his consistency as a goalscorer is still in question and, even at his best form, it would still be difficult to justify his contract.

United are also breaking their so-called ‘Ronaldo rule’, a decision that was made to ensure new contracts weren’t above the a £200,000 threshold and kept in line with the squad average, having seen Cristiano Ronaldo earn significantly more than his teammates.

At best, Rashford continues his fine form as one of the best players in the Premier League, a level he is now expected to perform to after his new deal.

However, at worst, United have a player who has no real incentive to strive for improvement are hamstrung with an expensive, long-term contract at a time when the owners are looking to prove the financial merits of investing in the club to buyers.

Ultimately United have achieved their goal of extending Rashford’s contract but the pressure is now on the player and Erik ten Hag to make another step up and bring Premier League glory back to Old Trafford or risk another era of mediocrity thanks to more poor, long-term financial planning.