Ten Hag implements ‘Ronaldo rule’ at Man Utd to put Rashford, Joao Felix deals in doubt

Erik ten Hag and the Manchester United bosses have reportedly introduced a ‘Ronaldo rule’ to prevent jeaousy in the Old Trafford dressing room.

The United boss wants salaries to be capped at £200,000 a week and has agreed the rule with chief executive Richard Arnold and director of football John Murtough.

They have made the call, according to the Daily Mail, on the back of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was on £500,000 a week, leaving the club.

The report claims they want to ‘avoid a culture of dressing-room jealousy’ which sees some players paid far more than others.

The first to be impacted by the new legislation is David de Gea, whose £375,000 a week deal runs out in the summer.

The Spaniard will be offered a ‘take it or leave it’ deal which will see him fall under the £200,000 a week mark.

According to the report, that will put him in line with Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire, Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, who are all (apparently) in the £180,000 to £200,000 a week bracket.

That’s not what Spotrac claim, or indeed any other website documenting salaries, which suggest Varane and Casemiro, along with Jadon Sancho, all earn way above that new limit.

While the new rule will reduce the annual wage bill, which currently stands at £228million — the highest in the Premier League – it could cause problems both when trying to sign new players and tieing current stars to new deals.

For instance, United are said to be ‘frontrunners’ to sign Joao Felix on loan for Atletico Madrid, but would have to pay the Portugal international’s wages, which are around £260,000 a week.

And given Sancho, who isn’t currently anywhere near the starting lineup at United, earns a reported £340,000 a week, Marcus Rashford – who has 18 months left on his current deal – will likely want terms at least as good as his teammate’s.

Either that or the England international – who’s in the form of his life – will up sticks and move somewhere like Paris Saint-Germain, who are reportedly willing to pay him £400,000 a week.

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