Manchester United has spent well over 100 million dollars compensating fired managers and executives during a decade of on-field decline, Los Angeles Times en Español reported.
That financial toll accumulated before Michael Carrick became the seventh permanent or interim manager dismissed since Alex Ferguson retired in 2013. The club is now nearing an agreement to hire Mauricio Pochettino, the current coach of the United States men’s national team.
Financial terms for Carrick remain undisclosed following a departure that arrived less than six months into a two-year contract. Frequent management changes have resulted in large severance packages at Old Trafford.
José Mourinho and his coaching staff received 19.6 million pounds, equivalent to 26 million dollars, when dismissed 11 months after signing an extended contract in 2018. Erik ten Hag and his staff collected 10.4 million pounds, or 13.76 million dollars, three months after signing a contract extension.
The tenure of Ruben Amorim added further millions to the club’s ledger. Manchester United paid 11 million pounds, roughly 14.55 million dollars, to trigger his release from Sporting CP in November 2024.
The club subsequently paid 8.2 million pounds, about 10.85 million dollars, to compensate Amorim and his coaching staff 14 months later. Those payments unfolded while the club carried heavy debt burdens and instituted aggressive cost-cutting measures.
Minority shareholder Jim Ratcliffe warned last year that Manchester United faced unsustainable financial losses. Under his oversight, the club has eliminated hundreds of jobs and drawn fan backlash by raising ticket prices.
Despite those austerity measures, the British billionaire has overseen a series of costly football operations expenditures since acquiring a 25 percent stake in 2024. Ten Hag received a contract extension under Ratcliffe before being immediately dismissed, while Amorim arrived as Ratcliffe’s first managerial appointment.
Executive changes added to the expenditure when Manchester United paid between 2 and 3 million pounds, translating to 2.65 million to 4 million dollars, to secure Dan Ashworth as sporting director from Premier League rival Newcastle United.
Ashworth spent five months on gardening leave during negotiations before departing six months later. Financial accounts published by the club revealed a total cost of 4.1 million pounds, or 5.4 million dollars, for the Ashworth episode including his hiring compensation.
Those expenditures totaled 33.7 million pounds, roughly 44.56 million dollars, under Ratcliffe’s direct supervision alone. Costs could have climbed higher, but Amorim’s appointment at AC Milan reduced the maximum compensation Manchester United owed from a potential 16.7 million pounds, or 22.1 million dollars.
Substantial severance spending predated Ratcliffe’s arrival. David Moyes collected 5.2 million pounds, about 6.88 million dollars, when he was fired 11 months into a six-year contract in 2014.
Louis van Gaal received 8.4 million pounds, or 11.11 million dollars, in compensation after his dismissal in 2016, which occurred two days after winning the FA Cup.
