Sir Jim Ratcliffe set to pour £13m down the drain barring Man Utd miracle

Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s extreme cost-cutting measures may all be in vain if Manchester United are forced to waste nearly £13million before the end of the season.

The Red Devils’ co-owner has made hundreds of people redundant since landing at Old Trafford in an effort to streamline the club’s finances. He has even gone as far as cancelling the £50 bonus given to the ‘steward of the week’.

That figure pales in comparison to the astronomical sums earned by United’s big-name players. INEOS are expected to try and auction off a number of them during the January transfer window to ease the strain on the wage bill and give new manager Ruben Amorim funds with which to bring in stars of his own choosing.

United spent extortionately under former manager Erik ten Hag, leaving them with little room to manoeuvre within PSR limits.

Three players understood to be on the chopping block are Marcus Rashford, Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof. According to Fabrizio Romano, Eriksen and Lindelof are ‘available’ in the winter market, but there is no concrete interest in them at present.

Various reports indicate that United are also willing to cash in on Rashford amid concerns over his lifestyle choices. The out-of-form winger has been left out of Amorim’s last two matchday squads despite being fit to play.

However, along with Eriksen and Lindelof, United may struggle to find a buyer for Rashford. Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal have both shown interest in the past, but they are not expected to pursue a big-money deal for him in January. It remains to be seen whether he could be tempted by a move to Saudi Arabia or the USA.

Wages are an issue for all three players. With Rashford on a reported £325,000 a week, Eriksen on £150,000 a week and Lindelof banking £120,000 a week, they would almost certainly have to accept a pay cut to leave Old Trafford.

Whether interested parties come forward to offer the players anywhere near their current salaries is completely out of United’s control. In total, if the club are unable to offload them, it will cost Sir Jim and co just shy of £13m in wages between the end of January and the end of June.

And it’s not as if any one of the trio are currently offering bang for United’s buck. Rashford risks being completely frozen out by Amorim, Eriksen is only a bit-part player and Lindelof has played just 59 minutes in the Premier League all season.