Stefan Borson reveals why Man United must agree new signings after £300m reveal

Manchester United have to strengthen their squad if they secure a return to European football this season.

That is according to former Manchester City financial adviser Stefan Borson, who exclusively told Football Insider Man United could have an extra 15 matches to play next season.

The Manchester giants have been in a strong run of form under Michael Carrick, who has claimed six wins from his eight games in charge since replacing Ruben Amorim in January. 

Man United currently sit third in the Premier League table despite losing 2-1 against Newcastle United on Wednesday (4 March) as they go in pursuit of a Champions League place.

A return to the Champions League would provide Man United’s financial situation with a major boost.

Why Man United are in ‘unusual’ position after documents analysed

Man United posted their second-quarter results last week, showing they recorded a £32.6million operating profit for the first six months of this financial year.

Meanwhile, the wage bill at Old Trafford fell from £163m the previous year to £149m across the first half of 2025-26.

The 20-time English champions have been making efforts to bring their wage bill down after it stood at £313m last season.

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Borson discussed Man United’s financial situation.

“I think you have to remember that they’re in a fairly unusual position this season,” said Borson.

“The revenues are affected by less games because they’re out of everything. They only have the league, so that’s fine. But the flip side of that is that it gives a fairly unreliable picture of what it’s going to be like next season when inevitably they’re going to be back in Europe in some form and they’re going to have you would think let’s say another 15 matches to deal with.

“Those 15 matches are going to require more investment on the field. What are they going to do with that? How are they going to invest in the squad?

“Can they operate at the level of wage bill that they’re heading to, which is much lower than Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and probably Chelsea right now? Is that sustainable? Are they going to be able to compete with a lower-cost base? If they can, they’ll be very successful.”

How Man United’s wage bill compares to Premier League rivals

Liverpool have the highest wage bill in the Premier League after their total increased to £428m following their title success last season.

Borson insisted Man United will be “very profitable” if they can perform well with a wage bill of around £300m.

“Manchester United is a machine from a business perspective, historically,” said Borson.

“If they can get back to a position where they can be in all of those tournaments and succeeding and playing well and doing it off let’s say a wage bill of £300m versus the wage bill that other teams have at £400m-plus, then clearly there’s going to be a very profitable situation there, especially if they can bring in replacements for sleeve sponsors, training sponsors and these sorts of things because they’ve had issues with that.”

Man United now have a break due to the FA Cup fixtures this weekend, with their next outing coming against Aston Villa in the Premier League on 15 March.

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