2022-23 Europa League: head-to-head Manchester United - Real Sociedad, Thursday 08/09/2022

With €1.754bn spent on the transfer market since 2013 according to a study by the CIES Football Observatory published on 02/09/2022, Manchester United FC (Premier League) is the 4^th highest spending club over the period, far ahead of Real Sociedad de Futbol (LaLiga Santander) and its €197m invested in player acquisitions, as the two clubs prepare to face each other in Group E, on Matchday 1 of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League at Old Trafford (Manchester, ENG), on Thursday 08/09/2022 (kick-off at 21:00 CET).

The Manchester club has spent €1.001bn to compose its 2022-23 squad, according to another study by CIES, published on 05/09/2022. Only neighbouring club Manchester City FC (Premier League) spent more among the clubs of the European Top 5. Manchester United's squad is valued at €750m by the website Transfermarkt on 06/09/2022. Meanwhile, the Basque club spent €113m to build its current squad, which is valued at €350m.

Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Manchester United have an average of 73,904 spectators at Old Trafford (74,879 capacity), for an average stadium fill rate of…