Man United legend tells players not to take pay cuts

Roy Keane has urged players at the Premier League’s biggest clubs to stand firm in the face of pressure to take wage cuts, insisting they should do what they want with their money. Photo: Reuters

Roy Keane has urged players at the Premier League’s biggest clubs to stand firm in the face of pressure to take wage cuts, insisting they should do what they want with their money. Photo: Reuters

Published Apr 25, 2020

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Roy Keane has urged players at the Premier League’s biggest clubs to stand firm in the face of pressure to take wage cuts, insisting they should do what they want with their money.

The former Manchester United captain said: ‘I have a lot of sympathy for players because a lot of players are getting criticised.

‘I’m probably talking about players at the really big clubs with a lot of wealthy owners, a lot of pressure to take pay cuts etc but I wouldn’t take a pay cut from anybody if I was at one of the bigger clubs.

‘I know there is pressure on players but it is nobody’s business what you do with your wages. You take your wages and if you want to be generous, go ahead and do it. I don’t think players should feel under pressure from clubs, particularly the bigger clubs, to take pay cuts.

‘And if they want to stick to their guns and say, “Listen, I’m sticking with my full wages while we’ve got a billionaire in the background” then do it. I’m really surprised at the amount

of people jumping on the bandwagon with criticism of the players. It is nobody’s business.

‘Your contract with the club is a personal matter and this idea that all the players should take a pay cut and all the players have to do this, I think that’s nonsense. It’s up to the individual.’

Meanwhile Gary Neville has called on the Premier League to borrow against future TV earnings to prop up the rest of English football.

He hopes new Premier League chairman Gary Hoffman, a former vice-chairman of League One club Coventry City, will back him.

Neville, who co-owns League Two side Salford City, told Sky Sports: ‘He will understand the predicament of lower league clubs.

‘I said four weeks ago that the Premier League should go and borrow a billion pounds.

‘The future revenues are into the tens of billions in the Premier League and more if they wanted to extend their TV contracts.

‘The idea of basically borrowing at this time £300m or 400m, £500m, which is more than an affordable number, doing a soft deal with a bank on a loan to give the FA, the EFL, the players, whoever it is. The National League need £15m.

‘I’ve gone from anger to despair to almost now pleading with somebody at the Premier League just to do the right thing for the game.’

Daily Mail

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