It's not just about the sporting relevance of not playing the UEFA Champions League, it's also a money thing.
Manchester United's disappointing performance in the continental competition against Barcelona not only ended their title hopes. The players' poor display at Camp Nou also hinted that a mass exodus is coming at Old Trafford, and that exodus could be led by none other than Paul Pogba, who has been named as Real Madrid's main transfer target.
There has been much talk about Pogba's transfer to Los Blancos, but the player's intention to leave could have been handed a boost by Tuesday's loss, since the Frenchman will take a massive paycut when the team misses out on the UEFA Champions League next season.
According to As, Pogba will take a 25% paycut, as will his teammates, for their failure to qualify to next year's UCL. That will take Pogba's wages from $19.5M yearly to $14.6M. While Manchester United still has a chance to make it to the top four teams in the Premier League, they are running out of options to make it to the tournament next year, especially if they continue their current unlucky run under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
So, with that in mind, Paul Pogba may just have found a way to leave Old Trafford. The only thing left for him to do is to reach an agreement between himself and Real Madrid, which could take more than a smile...
