Manchester United could face the prospect of players remaining on their current wages in the event of relegation from the Premier League, with the club historically not inserting clauses for dropping out of the top flight.

United have never finished in the bottom half – let alone near the bottom three – in the Premier League era and contracts have been negotiated with bonuses for Champions League football rather than the almost unthinkable prospect of playing in the second tier.

But head coach Ruben Amorim said getting dragged into a relegation battle is a “possibility” after a run of results where United have lost five out of their last seven games and have slid to 14th place.

United have a 25 per cent reduction of player salaries when they drop out of the Champions League but it is understood they usually do not negotiate relegation clauses when making signings or extending existing deals.

It means in the event of playing in the second tier the wage bill would remain the same, pending a clearout of players. Their financial figures posted in September showed they spent £364.7 million on wages for 2023-24.

Their recent defeats has moved them within seven points of the relegation zone. After the defeat to Newcastle on Monday night Amorim was asked whether the club were in a relegation battle and he said: “I think that it is a possibility. We have to be clear with our fans.”

United’s eighth-placed finish last season was their worst in the Premier League. Their last season without European football was 2014-15 in the campaign after David Moyes was sacked, with the club then reaching the Champions League the following season.

When they returned to the Champions League group stage via a play-off win against Club Brugge, Marouane Fellaini celebrated a goal by showing two fingers on one hand and five on the other, which was interpreted by some as “25 per cent” returning to wages.