How Manchester United Save Money When Lisandro Martinez Doesn’t Play

Did you know that Manchester United are paying Ajax £56,000 per appearance for defender Lisandro Martinez?

As part of his 2022 transfer, as reported by De Telegraaf, United agreed to an £8.4 million add-on package with Ajax, structured around a £56,000 payment for every game Martinez plays. However, this is capped at 30 games per season for five years—the length of his contract.

So, how much have United paid so far in these appearance-related bonuses?

• 2022/23 – 45 appearances – £1,680,000 (Max 30 games met)

• 2023/24 – 14 appearances – £784,000

• 2024/25 – 32 appearances – £1,680,000 (Max 30 games met)

Does Martinez Missing Games Save United Money?

The short answer is: sometimes.

For example, during the 2023/24 season, Martinez was limited to just 14 appearances due to injury, meaning United only paid £784,000 in add-ons—saving them nearly £900,000 compared to the full £1.68 million they would have paid if he had reached 30 games.

However, this season (2024/25), despite suffering a cruciate ligament injury in February against Crystal Palace — Martinez had already played 32 times. Since the appearance-based bonuses max out at 30 games per season, United had already triggered the full £1.68 million payment. So, while his absence is a blow for Ruben Amorim’s side, there’s no financial saving for the club this time around.

Why Does This Matter?

With Sir Jim Ratcliffe now overseeing football operations and looking to cut costs across the club, whether through staff redundancies or even closing the Carrington canteen, every bit of saved money matters. After all, Ratcliffe when speaking to the Times, claimed “At INEOS we run a lean organisation. As my mother said, you look after the pennies, the pounds look after themselves.” Make no mistake, savings of any kind will be welcomed by Ratcliffe but it cannot be at the cost of results on the pitch. There’s also the small issue of a new £2 billion stadium project to deliver his vision of building the “world’s greatest stadium” (as officially revealed by the club last week), but at this stage, we still don’t know how it will be funded.

Lisandro Martinez’s aggressive style of play unquestionably makes him more susceptible to injuries, which raises the question: will United actually get value for money over the remaining two seasons of his contract (2025/26 and 2026/27)?

Would United Rather Have Martinez on the Pitch?

Absolutely. Martinez is a key player, and while United might technically save money when he doesn’t play, Ruben Amorim would much rather have him available. Ball progression from the defence has proven to be a real struggle for this United team when ‘The Butcher’ doesn’t play. According to FBREF, until the Argentine’s injury on 2nd February he was second in the whole squad for progressive passes per 90 with 5.89, only behind Bruno Fernandes (8.04 progressive passes per 90).

Ruben Amorim can take some comfort that cover for Martinez is available. 18 year old Ayden Heaven in such little game time has shown the composure to comfortably slot in at left centre-back. The defender, signed from Arsenal for a modest £1m fee in January, is currently recovering from a worrying injury suffered against Leicester where he was stretchered off in the second half. The youngster has a long way to go in terms of development but his recent performances have shown enough to the Old Trafford faithful that he can already be an important player in United’s backline. 

Ultimately, Manchester United’s financial concerns stretch far beyond Martinez’s £56,000-per-game clause, but the way his contract is structured means the club has only benefited from savings in one season so far. Whether that changes in the future depends on Martinez’ fitness, or if Amorim is able to find what he believes to be a better solution to his position long term.