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MONEY TALKS

Manchester United’s bench at Blackburn Rovers contained £192m worth of talent with Paul Pogba joined by Juan Mata and Luke Shaw

Jose Mourinho's seven substitutes worth £192m between them - including world record signing Paul Pogba

Manchester United's bench cost more than most teams' first XI (back row: Juan Mata; middle row, left to right: Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, Dean Henderson, Bastian Schweinsteiger; front row, left to right: Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic)

MANCHESTER UNITED showed their financial muscle by naming the most expensive substitutes bench in FA Cup history against Blackburn on Sunday.

The combined total of the seven players watching on from the dugout was £192m, with substitutes Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic combining to score United's winner.

 Manchester United's bench cost more than most teams' first XI (back row: Juan Mata; middle row, left to right: Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, Dean Henderson, Bastian Schweinsteiger; front row, left to right: Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic)
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Manchester United's bench cost more than most teams' first XI (back row: Juan Mata; middle row, left to right: Paul Pogba, Luke Shaw, Dean Henderson, Bastian Schweinsteiger; front row, left to right: Eric Bailly, Zlatan Ibrahimovic)Credit: PA:Press Association
 Paul Pogba came off the bench to set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic's winner
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Paul Pogba came off the bench to set up Zlatan Ibrahimovic's winnerCredit: Reuters

What's more, two of the players - Ibrahimovic and academy product Dean Henderson - cost United nothing in transfer fees.

World's most expensive player Pogba cost the most, with his £89m value worth almost as much as the rest of the bench put together.

Juan Mata was the next most expensive - the Red Devils forked out £37m to bring the Spaniard to Old Trafford from Chelsea in 2014.

THE UNITED BENCH

Paul Pogba - £89m

Juan Mata - £37m

Eric Bailly - £30m

Luke Shaw - £30m

Bastian Schweinsteiger - £6m

Zlatan Ibrahimovic - free

Dean Henderson - free

 Juan Mata cost Manchester United £37m in 2014
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Juan Mata cost Manchester United £37m in 2014Credit: AP:Associated Press
 Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted the winner as United came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic netted the winner as United came from behind to beat Blackburn 2-1Credit: Reuters

Luke Shaw and Eric Bailly cost £30m each, with Bastian Schweinsteiger's fee of £6.5m completing the total.

Manchester City had previously held the record for the most expensive FA Cup bench - Pep Guardiola had £169m worth of talent behind him in the dugout during City's clash with Crystal Palace last month.

Unsurprisingly, Jose Mourinho turned to his supersubs in the second half with the score at 1-1.

Pogba, Ibrahimovic and Mata were all sent on to find a winner and it was the former two who proved decisive.

Pogba's lofted pass for Ibrahimovic caught the Blackburn defence napping and the Swede swivelled and fired home.

United had earlier gone behind to a Danny Graham goal, before Marcus Rashford's equaliser ensured it was all-square at the break.

Ibrahimovic's goal came 15 minutes from the end, with Blackburn having a late equaliser rightly ruled out for offside.

 

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