Manchester United chief says club can still beat Manchester City to top stars
Manchester United chief executive David Gill has claimed that the English Premier League giants are still capable of beating city rivals Manchester City to the signatures of top players.
The issue has come under the spotlight following the events which saw star striker Wayne Rooney announce his intention to leave. Before taking a U-turn and agreeing a new deal with the Red Devils, the England international had cited concerns over the club’s
ability to improve their squad in the future as a key factor in his desire to move on.
Gill has defended the club’s lure after it was revealed that City’s wage bill has shot up to £133m as mega-rich owner Sheikh Mansour splurges to bring in some of the planet’s best players. That has put them ahead of United in the wage bill table, with the
Red Devils spending £131.7m per year on salaries.
Despite those figures, Gill believes that his club still have what it takes to attract world-class players.
'We can still attract the stars we need on the pitch'
He was asked by Press Association Sport if he was worried by City’s emergence as a team capable of luring top talent, but replied that: "No, not really — I'm not concerned by that as ever since we have been a public company we have had a policy that wages
should be 50% or less of turnover. We believe we can do that and still retain and attract the stars we need on the pitch. We think that's the sensible model. Clubs have other models — that's their prerogative. Each to their own."
However, comparing the transfer fees shelled out by both clubs over the summer transfer window tells a different story. City splashed out £127.7m to recruit stars such as Italy striker Mario Balotelli, Yaya Toure (formerly of Barcelona) and 2010 FIFA World
Cup winner David Silva. United, however, spent £23.7m to bring in the likes of Chris Smalling and Javier Hernandez.
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