Van Nistelrooy - United wages are obscene
The Dutchman revealed in an interview with Dutch magazine Voetbal International that the wages on offer in England could well be a major reason why so many foreign stars move to The Premiership.
"If you play in the first team at United, your wages are astronomical," said van Nistelrooy. "Honestly, what we earn is not just a whacking amount of money by Dutch standards, it's obscene when you compare it to what is earned in the rest of Europe.
"As a player you choose a club and you pick the ideal country where you want to play, but I admit that the size of your wage packet plays a major part."
The former PSV Eindhoven hit-man also revealed that a number of players regularly play cards for money to relieve the boredom of long away journeys.
"The players spend a lot of time travelling," added van Nistelrooy. "Oh, and maybe I shouldn't say this, but a lot of them play cards.
"Yes, they play for money. I can see them writing stuff down all the time when they are playing. They play on the train when we go to London, in hotels or on the plane and the manager is fine as long as he is winning."
