Manchester United players today became the first Premier League stars to slash their pay and they will now donate millions to the
NHS, MailOnline can reveal today.
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Old Trafford stars earning up to £375,000 per week have agreed to forgo 30 per cent of their wages for one month on the proviso that the money is used to benefit hospitals and health centres throughout Manchester in the fight against the
coronavirus.
Captain Harry Maguire was approached by chairman Ed Woodward about the idea, and the England defender opened up the initiate to the rest of the senior squad, who are believed to have overwhelmingly agreed.
The decision came as a row over footballers' pay erupted with Gary Lineker today defending those who have not taken a cut during the coronavirus crisis after Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged them to support club staff who are being furloughed at the taxpayers' expense.
The Match of the Day host, who will donate two months of his £1.75million BBC salary to the British Red Cross, believes that Premier League stars should not be vilified yet saying: 'I think a lot of footballers will do something'.
Many football fans are irate and have accused millionaire star players of 'living in a bubble' while club staff who serve them through the season are being put out of work while football is cancelled due to coronavirus.
Spurs, whose owner Joe Lewis is worth £4.5billion and pays most players between £70,000 and £200,000-a-week, has furloughed non-playing staff along with Premier League rivals Newcastle, Norwich and Bournemouth. Shop workers, security staff, cleaners and catering staff will now be paid 80 per cent of their salary up to £2,500-a-month by the taxpayer when club stars remain on multi-million pound salaries.
Mr Lineker said: 'It's now up to the players how to respond. Let's give them a chance to respond before this hugely judgemental pile-on that we always get nowadays. My inkling is that footballers will take pay cuts. I think we need to be a little bit patient with them.'
The former England striker spoke out after Gary Neville accused
Matt Hancock of having a 'f***ing cheek' after the Health Secretary said
Premier League footballers should give up some of their pay packets, when the Government can't organise testing for NHS staff. Mr Lineker later shared the tweet saying: 'Abso-bl**dy-lutely'.
