Manchester United were back on top, restored to the summit of the English game, reaching a historic high. When their financial results were released last week, their wage bill, of £384.2m, was the biggest ever in the Premier League.
As it came in their worst season since the 1980s, when they finished 35 points behind their neighbours and as close to Watford as to Manchester City, it showed the cost of failure has never been higher.
