Manchester United are in a great position to secure a Champions League return with Wayne Rooney noting the financial impact
13:15, 24 Feb 2026Updated 13:20, 24 Feb 2026
Wayne Rooney has made a big Manchester United Champions League admission(Image: The Overlap Fan Debate)
Wayne Rooney has revealed what was the potential impact of Manchester United not qualifying for the Champions League. Following Monday’s win over Everton, United sit fourth in the table and are in a strong position to play in Europe’s top competition next season.
Benjamin Sesko was the hero once again as he struck the winner at Hill Dickinson Stadium and that now means his goals have won United eight points this campaign. That could easily be the difference between Michael Carrick’s side finishing in the top five and just missing out with Rooney revealing the impact that used to have at Old Trafford.
Rooney said on The Overlap Fan Debate: “[At Manchester United] We use to get pay cuts when we didn’t get Champions League – you’d get 25% of your salary taken away if you didn’t finish in the Champions League places – every player, the manager, players, coaches.
So, [Manchester] United were trying to stick within the rules. It was brought in [the introduction of Squad Cost Ratio, the new alternative PSR] to stop teams from going bust.
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“When I was at Derby and seeing the effect of decisions getting made to gain that little edge [financially] – of course, you want your club to do well and when you get caught doing it, the impact that has – people losing their jobs – seeing that firsthand was not nice to be around.
“You have to live within the rules, but the rules now are made for the teams at the top and for the teams below trying to catch them up, it’s impossible.”
United looked set to be heavily impacted financially by their worst Premier League finish ever. But four marquee signings were made in the summer, with all of them key to the 1-0 victory away at Everton.
Bryan Mbeumo grabbed the assist for Sesko’s goal after being released into the opposition half by a sensational Matheus Cunha through ball. Senne Lammens meanwhile, made several excellent saves and commanded his area dominantly from a barrage of late Everton corners.
Benjamin Sesko has been speaking about his role at Manchester United(Image: Getty Images)
Sesko is the only one of the four to not be a clear starter under Carrick with the Slovenian speaking on his role in the squad after scoring for the third game off the bench.
He said on Sky Sports: “For me, it’s important whenever I come on to try and help the team, that is why I’m here. Whether that is five minutes or 90 minutes, it doesn’t really matter; it’s about showing I can deliver if I possibly can, and I’m really happy with that.
“I believe in myself, and so do the other players as well; they know what they are going to get when I arrive in the game. It’s up to me to deliver, of course.
“It was really important for us to win this game; it was really difficult. We were fighting, they were fighting, it was a really 50/50 battle, but we managed it until the end and secured the win.”
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