Fascinating fly-on-the-wall footage of Omar Berrada discussing Manchester City's wage structure with Txiki Begiristain did the rounds when Manchester United appointed Berrada as CEO last year. The clip was from ripped from a City documentary but it was worth watching.

Berrada reiterated the importance of maintaining a sensible wage structure and said City needed to "resist" when they faced pressure form players and agents for an increase salary.

The 46-year-old compared City's wage structure to how much other European clubs pay their players and seemed content with paying the fourth highest wages, given their success.

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Berrada defected from blue to red at the beginning of last year and he was Ineos' first major appointment ahead of officially acquiring a minority stake at United. "The club is determined to put football and performance on the pitch back at the heart of everything we do. Omar’s appointment represents the first step on this journey," read the statement confirming his arrival.

Unsurprisingly, United were one of the three clubs who paid higher wages than City in the documentary and Berrada now has the responsibility of lowering the wage bill at Old Trafford.

United have spent an unfathomable sum on transfers and wages in the last 12 years and don't have much to show for it, so addressing the wage structure has been a priority for Ineos.

Ineos have made a list of questionable decisions since taking control of football operations, such as making 250 staff redundant, making staff pay for travel to Wembley and charging fans £66 for tickets, but trying to bring players' wages down isn't something they can be criticised for.

United have been overly generous wages for far too long and that needed to be addressed. Fortunately for Ineos, three of the dressing room's highest-earners are on their way out of the club and their departures should make a significant difference, and set a new precedent.

The first of those players is Marcus Rashford. He was briefly recalled to the squad to face Newcastle on December 30 due to injuries and suspensions, but he was absent again at Craven Cottage on Sunday and Ruben Amorim's quotes about him in his press conference were damning.

When asked about Rashford's absence, he said: "It’s the same, it’s always the same reason. The reason is the training, the way I see what footballers should do in training, in life, it’s every day, every detail.

"So if things don’t change, I will not change. It’s the same situation for every player. If you do the maximum, if you do the right things, we can use every player. And you can see it today on the bench, we miss a little bit of pace to go and change the game, move some pieces.

"But I prefer it like that. I will put Vital [United's goalkeeper coach] on before I put a player on that don’t give the maximum every day. So I will not change in that department."

Although United reiterated the observation was applicable to all players and not just Rashford, fans made their own conclusions and there needs to a resolution to the players' situation.

The winter transfer window shuts on February 3 and arranging an exit for Rashford must happen, as neither party want to be shackled with each other for the remainder of the season.

Rashford could leave on a loan deal, with the view to eventually leaving on a permanent transfer, and United hope Antony's move to Real Betis will produce a similar outcome.

If you have watched Antony, you wouldn't believe he is one of United's highest earners, but he was placed on a lucrative contract when he signed from Ajax in the summer of 2022 and it's imperative that he finds a permanent new home when he returns from his loan in Spain.

The process of removing Rashford and Antony from the books is under way and momentum behind an exit for Casemiro will gradually pick up as the season reaches its final few months.

Casemiro enjoyed a mini-resurgence in the final weeks of Erik ten Hag's tenure and during Ruud van Nistelrooy's four game as interim boss, but he has slipped down the midfield pecking order with Amorim in charge and youngster Toby Collyer has recently climbed above him.

This must be Casemiro's last season at United and he should follow Rashford and Antony through the exit door, which would help to significantly lower the money spent on wages.