Sheffield United squad to defer wages to help club through Covid-19 shutdown | Sheffield United

Sheffield United players will defer part of their salaries to help the club cope with the closure enforced by the coronavirus pandemic.

The players will shortly announce the agreement, a day after the club revealed that the manager, Chris Wilder, and senior coaching staff had accepted a 10% deferral of their wages for six months.

United’s players are amongst the lowest-paid in the Premier League but the club indicated that deferrals would make it easier to navigate a way through a period during which revenue has fallen drastically. The club has not contested a match since the victory over Norwich on 7 March and no one knows when the league will resume.

Wilder said after the announcement of his pay deferral: “It is a difficult time for everyone. That includes football clubs and this particular measure is all about our football club. I’ve had similar experiences of cash-flow problems at other clubs and I’m delighted that my staff have supported me in assisting our club in a small way.”

United furloughed some permanent and casual staff a fortnight ago but are continuing to pay them in full without resorting to the government’s job retention scheme.