Manchester United Stars to Get Pay Rise with Champions League Qualifying Victory

Manchester United's players have extra motivation to reach the Champions League group stage, as they will reportedly earn a pay increase should they qualify.

That's according to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, who reports that "each of United's players have clauses in their contracts that see their wages rise on the back of qualification."

The Red Devils take on Club Brugge on Tuesday night in the first leg of their play-off in a bid to return to the competition proper after failing to qualify under David Moyes and subsequently playing no European football last season.

However, as Keegan notes, the club will be able to afford the extra outlay thanks to the huge sums they will receive in prize money, gate receipts and TV revenue. Here, he outlines the prize money United will receive at each stage:

Stage	Prize Money
Reach Group Stage	£8.53 million
Group Stage Win	£710,000
Group Stage Draw	£360,000
Reach Last 16	£3.91 million
Reach Quarter-finals	£4.2 million
Reach Semi-Finals	£4.98 million
Reach Final	£7.46 million
Winners	£10.66 million

The return to European competition, assuming United traverse the play-off unscathed, will provide the club with a significant income boost to go alongside their lucrative sponsorship deals.

As the Telegraph report, United have a seven-year deal with American car company Chevrolet "worth a reported £53 million per season," while German giants Adidas have taken over the manufacturing of United's kits for the next 10 years in a deal worth at least £750 million.

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The influx of money will be of great use to the Red Devils as they seek to compete in the transfer market—something they will have to continue to do this summer and beyond as they target a return to their former glory in both the Premier League and the Champions League.

United have bought well so far this summer in recruiting the likes of Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin, Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian.

However, the departures of Robin van Persie, Radamel Falcao and Angel Di Maria leaves them still requiring further investment as the attack-minded players have yet to be replaced, particularly with Wayne Rooney making a quiet start to the new campaign.

Though they have hardly been convincing in their opening two fixtures, United have won both and should have few problems against the Belgian side on Tuesday, particularly with the Guardian's Rich Flower reporting Brugge as missing "eight or nine players due to injury."

With so much on the line for both the players and the club, the Red Devils cannot afford to be complacent as they head into the crucial home leg of their qualifier.