Former Manchester United captain, Roy Keane says players who refuse to accept pay cuts at their clubs are doing nothing wrong.
The Irishman has insisted that the players at top Premier League clubs should “stick to their guns” and not be pressured into accepting pay cuts.
Keane added that he does not understand the rationale behind the amount of criticism directed towards players at the top end of the Premier League and is calling for blanket wage reductions to be implemented.
He further stated that wages and contracts are personal matters between a player and a club, and whether someone wants to donate part of their salary should be their decision alone.
“There is pressure on players at the really big clubs, clubs with wealthy owners, to take pay cuts,” he said on Friday’s The Football Show on Sky.
“The way I look at it now, particularly after the way I left Manchester United, I wouldn’t take a pay cut from anybody if I was at one of the bigger clubs.
“I know there is pressure on players, but it is nobody’s business what you do with your wages.
“You take your wages and if you want to be generous, go ahead and do it. I don’t think players should feel pressured by clubs, particularly the bigger clubs, to take pay cuts.
“They have signed a contract, and your contract with a club is a personal matter. This idea that all players should take a pay cut, or that all the players have to do this, I think that is nonsense. It’s up to the individual.
“If they want to stick to their guns and say they want their full wages when you’ve got a billionaire in the background, do it. Don’t be swayed by some sort of pressure from the media, who write lies anyway about certain players.
“There is a lot of speculation out there, I don’t think anybody should believe anything they are reading about what players are doing. I am really surprised at the amount of people jumping on the bandwagon with the criticism of the players, it’s nobody’s business.
“I’m talking about the top clubs here with the really wealthy owners, obviously the clubs in the owner leagues are having to make sacrifices, but the players at the top at clubs that have the money, stick to your guns,” he said.
Players in the Premier League have been approached and discussions have taken place over potential wage reductions, but Keane has stressed that players are within their rights to insist their contracts are honoured.
“When I was at Nottingham Forest or Manchester United, negotiating new deals or leaving the club, the club made it pretty clear to me on any aspect of contract negotiations that it was a business, and I understood that,” he added.
“But I signed a contract, and I expected the club to honour that contract. I know circumstances have changed but I am speaking about the clubs that have the money available.
“When the clubs with billionaire owners in the background come to the players and say they are in trouble, no, no, you honour the contract.
“I was in a brilliant dressing room at Manchester United, a lot of different characters and different traits, and if certain players wanted to give up some of their wages or keep of their wages then good luck to them.
“That’s up to the player, the individual. This idea that we should be getting players to give up their wages at these big clubs, forget about it because these clubs are the first to tell you ‘this is a business, lads, this is how it works’.
“These guys who are billionaires in the background are ruthless, they are shrewd people. Then they come and talk to the players about cashflow problems, I’ve heard it all before. I’d take no notice of it,” he concluded.
Arsenal star, Mesut Ozil recently faced a heavy backlash for rejecting a pay cut this week.
