Manchester United players are donating 30% of their wages to local hospitals

According to reports from The Daily Mail this morning, Manchester United will be the first team to take a voluntary pay cut in their salaries, donating it to Manchester area hospitals that are helping fight the coronavirus.

The idea was presented to club captain Harry Maguire by chairman Ed Woodward and when presented to the team, it was unanimously approved.

The players — a couple of whom are earning up to £375,000 per week — have agreed to forgo 30 percent of their wages for one month and are donating it to local hospitals.

Before this announcement, some players have already been doing their part to raise money.

Last week United striker Marcus Rashford teamed up with FareShare, a food distribution charity, after schools in the Manchester area were closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, raising £134,000 for meals.

Also, goalkeeper David De Gea has made a €300,000 donation to help provide medical equipment and support vulnerable families in Spain.

Lastly, midfielder Paul Pogba launched a fundraiser on his birthday to raise money for the coronavirus fight. The World Cup-winning midfielder has pledged to double the amount raised should the target of £27,000 be met.

On his Instagram post, Pogba said of the fundraiser:

“With your help, I am hoping today to raise £27,000 to help fight this war and I will double the amount if we reach the goal. If we manage to reach our target, it will be enough to provide: 333,332 pairs of disposable gloves for health workers + *2,777 surgical masks to help prevent the disease from spreading further + *9,615 sets of vented goggles.”