Ralf Rangnick's earnings show Man Utd have broken Sir Alex Ferguson rule again

Manchester United once had in place a wage structure that ensured no player would earn more per-week than former boss Sir Alex Ferguson, though that appears to have long gone eight years after his exit.

Ralf Rangnick, United's current interim manager, doubled his earnings after penning a deal at Old Trafford from the previous salary he was on with Lokomotiv Moscow as the Russian outfit's sporting director.

After enjoying a £3.8m salary in Russia, Rangnick will pocket nearly £8million for just six months work given his contract as manager only runs until the end of the current campaign.

However, despite these impressive figures, Rangnick's salary is not high enough to follow Ferguson's rule when it comes to earning more than the players he manages.

HAVE YOUR SAY! Should Rangnick earn more than every Man Utd player? Comment below

Astonishingly, there are 12 players within the current crop of United stars who will take home more over the course of the calendar year than their manager.

No prizes for guessing United's highest earner - the club's wage bill shot up by nearly 25-per-cent in the aftermath of Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival back in late August.

Boasting a £550,000-a-week salary, Ronaldo is now the highest earner in both United and Premier League history following his return to Old Trafford.

Long-time number one shot-stopper David de Gea is next on the list of United's highest earners, taking home £375,000 per-week after he penned a contract extension in the summer of 2019.

Two signings made in the summer of this year fall just behind the Spaniard in terms of earnings, with Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane earning £350,000 and £340,000 per-week respectively.

Club record signing Paul Pogba's deal sees him earn £290,000 per-week, though for how much longer remains to be seen given the Frenchman is out of contract come the end of the season and shown no signs of wanting to extend his stay.

Edison Cavani, Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and club captain Harry Maguire all earn more than the man tasked with leading them to a top four finish by the end of this term.

Midfield talisman Bruno Fernandes is surprisingly low down on the list of United's earners when factoring in his importance to the side and how quickly he settled into life at Old Trafford, though the Portugal international also earns more than Rangnick with his £180,000 weekly wage.

Seasoned veteran Juan Mata and first choice left-back Luke Shaw make up the final two members of the United squad earning more than their boss.

It was a similar story under Rangnick's predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who had six players in last season's squad pocketing more than the Norwegian.