Manchester United s players were better paid than those from neighbours and rivals Manchester City last season, although a lavish wage bill could only deliver a fifth-placed Premier League finish.
City s latest financial results, released on Tuesday, revealed staff costs of £198million, while the world s most expensive footballer Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Jose Mourinho have added further weight to a United wage bill that totalled £203m for 2015-16.
A run to the Champions League semi-finals in a capacity-boosted Etihad Stadium under Manuel Pellegrini last term helped City rake in record revenues of £391.8m, netting a profit of £20.5m.
By comparison, United made a gargantuan £515m over the same period, with a healthy profit of almost £50m.
While United s debts climb into the hundreds of millions, City s statement declared them to be operating with zero financial debt as well as having recorded a healthy wage/revenue ratio at 50 per cent in 2015-16 .
Pep Guardiola s arrival ahead of the current season, like Mourinho s across the city, prompted a spike in spending, with next year s figures likely to chronicle an estimated £180m spending spree.
Though apparently operating under slightly tighter financial restraints, Guardiola has led City to the top of the Premier League after eight games, including a 2-1 win over united at Old Trafford, with Mourinho s men five points further back in seventh.
