• Sánchez signing and new Fellaini contract part of £77m bill • Club’s revenue down to £135m from £143m

Manchester United’s wage bill has increased by more than 10%, the club’s latest financial figures have shown. The rise was attributed primarily to investment in the first-team squad and follows the arrival of players including Alexis Sánchez.

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United released quarterly accounts for the three months to 30 September and said the wage bill had increased by £7.1m to £77m since the equivalent period a year earlier.

Sánchez joined from Arsenal in January on a salary understood to be in the region of £300,000 a week plus bonuses. Other players to have signed include Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant, and a new contract for Marouane Fellaini will also have contributed to the rise.

United’s executive chairman, Ed Woodward, described the club’s start to the season as “mixed” but said: “We remain well positioned in the Champions League. Although we have had a mixed start in the Premier League, the squad and manager are fully united in their aim to improve the current position.”

United’s revenue of £135m for what is termed the first quarter of 2019 was down from £143.7m but Woodward said the club remained on track for record annual income. “Our financial strength enables us to continue to attract and retain top players and to invest in our academy,” he said.