Manchester United are unlikely to take taxpayers' money to fund the wages of non-playing staff.

Liverpool and Tottenham have come under fire for using the Government furloughing scheme, which sees 80 per cent of salaries paid up to £2,500 per month from the public purse in a bid to keep workers employed amid the coronavirus crisis.

United have declined to comment, but Sportsmail can reveal they are set to tell around 900 non-playing staff they will be kept on by the club on full pay with no request for Government cash.

Manchester United are set to inform their non-playing staff they will be kept on with full pay

Sources say the club are expected to inform staff of the decision this week. United are thought to be exploring areas of voluntary work which their staff could perform related to the crisis.

United have already pledged to pay their matchday staff for the rest of the currently suspended season.

On Sunday, neighbours Manchester City announced they would be honouring wages out of their own pockets.

The Red Devils are expected to find voluntary roles for them amid the coronavirus crisis

WHAT DOES FURLOUGH MEAN? When an employee is placed on furlough they are temporarily put on a leave of absence and not paid, although they remain on the payroll, meaning that they do not lose their job. This could be because there is no work for these employees, or that the company is not able to afford to pay them, because of the effects of the coronavirus crisis. In the United Kingdom, the Government is offering to pay 80 per cent of a furloughed employee's wages, up to £2,500 per month, until they are able to resume their job full time. The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will last for at least three months from March 1. Advertisement

City chief operating officer Omar Berrada told Etihad Stadium employees over the weekend that they would not be furloughed after a decision at board level on Friday.

Any losses are expected to be offset by American private equity firm Silver Lake's £389million investment for just over 10 per cent of the City Football Group in November.

'We can confirm that Manchester City will not be utilising the Government's Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme,' a spokesperson said.

'We remain determined to protect our people, their jobs and our business while doing what we can to support our wider community.'

Meanwhile, it can be disclosed Liverpool's decision to furlough 'some staff', as they put it in a statement, equates to more than half of the non-playing workforce.

Newcastle, Norwich and Bournemouth will also be using the Government scheme.