The news that Jesse Lingard has signed a new 4-year deal at Manchester United has been met with raised-eyebrows as it has been reported that the 24-year-old will now be earning £100,000 per week at the club, roughly three times more than his current wage.
Told Jesse Lingard has agreed to sign new Manchester United contract. 4-year deal. Wages will treble to about £100,000 a week
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) April 6, 2017
The news that Lingard was being offered a 4-year contract would likely have divided opinion amongst the club's fans even if the figure had not been revealed, as there are many United fans around who have not warmed to Lingard and don't believe him to be of the required standard, despite his knack for scoring goals at Wembley.
Once it became clear that he would be earning those numbers and considering his role in the squad, where even his biggest fan would likely not pick him in the club's best XI, we saw a shocked reaction from around social media.
While a player is only worth what a club will pay him, and Manchester United's financial power means that they can afford to pay role-players like Lingard such a fee with few worries, it's still alarming to see what £100k a week will get you elsewhere in the league.
We had a look around at some of the reported high-earners at other clubs to put Lingard's wage into perspective as a standing in the league.
Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris - Tottenham Hotspur - £100,000
19 goals so far this season, on top of his league leading 25 last year, and Harry Kane is only on £100k a week.
He is the best played player at a wage cap that will surely be broken in the coming years, most likely for Kane who has made it clear that he wishes to remain at the club going forward.
Another player probably in the top three at his position in the league, Lloris is well paid for a goalkeeper and is another one that Spurs have given their maximum wage to.
Dele Alli - Tottenham Hotspur - £50,000
For now.
Alli will be due a bumper pay-rise when he does eventually put pen to paper on a new deal, but for now he is one of the best attacking midfielders in the league and is taking home half of what Jesse Lingard is.
Romelu Lukaku - Everton - £75,000
Another one that won't last long as it looks certain that the big Belgian will be leaving Everton, Lukaku is on a very modest £75k a week for someone who is leading the league in goals on 21 and chipped in with 18 last season.
If he does stay, Everton are going to need to show him the money as he will have it thrown at him elsewhere.
Seamus Coleman - Everton - £50,000
When it emerged that FIFA would need to pay Coleman's wages over the course of his injury, the fact that such an important player and one of the best at his position in the league (and world by the way) was on such a low wage comparatively.
He only cost the club £60,000 after all, pay the man!
Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez- Leicester City - £100,000
Leicester's league-winning stars were rewarded for their fine form and are now the top earners at the club. Vardy's return of 10 league goals this season is a disappointment considering he bagged 24 last year, but he's been back to his best in recent weeks.
Mahrez too suffered a dip from his incredible season last year, as his wage was raised to top-earner levels to match his status as player of the year.
Sadio Mané - Liverpool - £90,000
Funnily enough, those Liverpool fans that were upset by the club's supposed lack of ambition in signing Sadio Mané from Southampton would have claimed that his wages were too high, but now £90k a week looks a steal considering how important he has become for Jurgen Klopp.
Roberto Firmino - Liverpool - £100,000
And on a slightly higher wage, Brazilian attacker Roberto Firmino is making roughly £50k less than his compatriot Philippe Coutinho as Liverpool's best paid player.
Laurent Koscielny - Arsenal - £75,000/£90,000
Koscielny recently signed a new deal that was an improvement over his £60,000 a week deal but has not cracked £100k, there have been two figures reported, the higher one puts him on the same money as Olivier Giroud. The fact that such a crucial player for Arsenal is now earning less than Lingard is tough to comprehend.
And yet it's Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez who are reported to be after more money.
[Figures via totalsportek.com and DailyMail.co.uk]
