Manchester United exceeds €100 million in coach severance payments

Man United has exceeded the €100 million mark for manager severance payments since the end of the Alex Ferguson era. At the same time the club is trying to cut costs, even though it is currently fighting relegation in the Premier League.

Manager change costs

Michael Carrick was the eighth manager since Alex Ferguson and had to leave the post. His successor is set to be US coach Mauricio Pochettino, who is already on standby. The Argentine has a contract in the USA until 2030 and is demanding a compensation fee of around nine million euros.

The total spending on manager severance payments has therefore exceeded the €100 million threshold and is above the record transfer of Paul Pogba. According to the Telegraph, Manchester United has paid more than €120 million in manager severance fees since 2013.

Carrick received, after his successful interim spell, a contract until 2028 and at least six million euros in compensation. Compared with his predecessors, this amount is relatively modest.

Cost‑reduction measures and current situation

José Mourinho received a severance payment of €23.4 million in December 2018. Mourinho had been appointed in July 2016, finished sixth and second in the Premier League and won the Europa League in 2017. After 144 games his chapter ended, followed by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who oversaw 168 games until November 2021.

Solskjaer received a severance payment of €10.9 million. Ralf Rangnick, initially a consultant, took over until the end of the season for 29 games and cost up to €17.6 million.

Erik ten Hag arrived in the summer of 2022, was supposed to be dismissed after the 2024 FA Cup final against Manchester City, but instead won the league, received a contract extension and left the post in October 2024 with a severance payment of €12.4 million. Ruben Amorim received €11 million (excluding bonuses) from Sporting CP in November 2024, stayed for 63 games and was given €9.8 million after his dismissal in January 2026. David Moyes received €5.9 million and Louis van Gaal €10 million in severance payments.

Sport director Dan Ashworth arrived for €3.6 million from Newcastle United, was in the role for five months and received a severance payment of €4.9 million. Overall, the spending on manager changes exceeds the record transfer of Paul Pogba, who arrived from Juventus in 2016 for €105 million. The expected top player, the Frenchman, was never used permanently by the Red Devils.

Manchester United wants to cut costs because the club recorded a deficit of over €500 million in the last seven seasons. Since 2025, 322 staff members have lost their jobs and the free lunch was discontinued in February 2025 to save more than €1.2 million annually. Currently Manchester United sits in a relegation spot in the Premier League table. The report was published on 12 November 2026 at 16:11 on a Bundesliga forum platform with support, premium service.