Erik ten Hag is set to land a huge bonus if he is able to get Manchester United back into the Champions League this season.
United missed out on qualification for the upcoming edition of Europe’s elite club competition with a sixth-placed finish last term and instead, will be joining Arsenal in the group stages of the Europa League.
However, United will be hoping to limit their absence from the Champions League to just one season and getting back into the elite level of European club football will be high on Ten Hag’s list of priorities after taking charge of the Red Devils.
The Sun are reporting that if Ten Hag gets United back into the Champions League, he will pocket a cool £3million bonus, although it is claimed that the bonus would only be a small portion of what United would miss out on if they fail to qualify for Europe’s top tournament once again.
It is claimed that if the Red Devils fail to qualify for the Champions League for a second straight season, they would miss out on £90m. The report also suggests that Ten Hag’s salary of around £9m a year is half of what his direct Manchester rival Pep Guardiola earns at the Etihad Stadium, making the potential bonus on offer incredibly lucrative.
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United would also significantly suffer from a sponsorship point of view if they missed out on back-to-back seasons of Champions League football. It is suggested that as part of their agreements with kit sponsors Adidas, they are entitled to withdraw £25m of funding.
The Red Devils have had an unbeaten pre-seasons schedule. Scoring 13 goals in four games, they have beaten Liverpool, Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace, as well as drawing 2-2 with Aston Villa on Saturday. Ten Hag’s side have pre-season friendlies against Spanish duo Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano next weekend to conclude their pre-season schedule.
United’s Premier League season starts on Sunday, August 7 at Old Trafford at home in what will be Ten Hag’s first official game in charge of the Red Devils. They and Arsenal will have to wait until September to start their 2022/23 Europa League group stage campaign, with both English sides set to be in Pot 1 of the competition.
That will put the duo in a favourable position in the group stage draw next month, meaning both sides will avoid being put in the same group as Italian duo Roma and Lazio.
United's lack of Champions League football has also led to the competition's all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo handing in a transfer request. Mirror Football exclusively revealed that the club have now offered Ronaldo the option to leave on loan this season and come back next summer, providing he signs a contract extension.
