Manchester United hit with £20m blow after Premier League reveal

Manchester United hit with £20m blow after Premier League reveal

Manchester United were hit financially after a bitterly disappointing campaign last season

Man United are set for a financial blow from the Premier League's central funding pot. (Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images. )

Manchester United’s dismal Premier League performance last season cost them £20m from the league’s central funding pot.

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United finished 15th in the Premier League in 2024/25, the club’s worst performance in the Premier League era, and missed out on qualification for lucrative Champions League football this coming season after being beaten in the final by Tottenham Hotspur.

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Head coach Ruben Amorim, who replaced Erik ten Hag as United boss back in October, is tasked with returning the club to former glories, but on the back of an immensely challenging campaign in 2024/25, the Portuguese will have to do it with less money at his disposal.

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While the impact of a lack of Champions League football this coming season is what will be felt most keenly in the current financial year, the impact of poor performance was significant when it came to the money that the club receives from the Premier League.

As is the case at the end of each season, the Premier League has revealed the breakdown of central payments made to its member clubs, which includes equal shares for the domestic and international rights, merit payments for both broadcast markets, facility fees for the amount of times featured in live broadcasts and an equal share of the commercial income the league receives.

The Premier League has confirmed that United earned £136.2m for the 2024/25 season, £20m less than the £156.2m earned when they finished eighth in the 2023/24, with the club earning less in facility fees (£23.4m) compared to the previous season (£24.4m) even though they appeared in same amount of live games, 28, in both seasons.

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There was also a reduction in the equal share that comes from the domestic broadcast rights, with all clubs sharing £29.8m and not the £31.2m from the previous year, although that was offset by the increase in equal share to £59.2m from £55.7m when it came to the international market, demonstrating the importance of the Premier League’s global strategy.

The share of commercial revenue was down for all teams from £8.2m to £7.9m, as were merit payments made from the domestic broadcast market depending on where clubs finished in the competition. Merit payments were also down from the international market.

What that meant for United was that, through significantly poorer performance year on year, they brought in £6.2m from merit payments from the international market for finishing 15th, while the previous year they earned £14.7m for an eighth-placed finish.

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The merit payments derived from the domestic market came to £9.7m, down from the £22m that was achieved the previous season.

In a statement accompanying the release of the central payments to clubs, the Premier League stated: “The collective marketing of Premier League rights and the League's revenue distribution formula assist clubs in their efforts to develop and acquire talented players, as well as build and improve stadiums for fans.

In its payments to clubs, the Premier League is the most equitable of Europe's major leagues and makes a significant annual funding contribution to the domestic football pyramid, community programmes and wider good causes.

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“In Season 2024/25, the Premier League committed more than £550m to the wider game.”

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