Manchester United kit deal with Adidas to be slashed by £20m-a-year if club fails to qualify for Champions League

Pressure is on Louis van Gaal to ensure the club make a quick return to Europe's elite competition

Louis van Gaal has endured slow starts at previous clubs Ajax, Barcelona and Bayern Munich (Getty Images)

Manchester United could lose more than £20 million a year from a record-breaking kit deal with Adidas if they fail to qualify for the Champions League.

The team's £750 million 10-year deal with the German's sportswear giant will be cut by 30 per cent if they fail to qualify for the tournament for two consecutive seasons starting 2015/16.

If they qualify, the payment would revert to £75 million a year with the Red Devils in line to receive an extra £4 million a year if they win the Champions League, the Premier League or the FA Cup.

Manchester United are recovering from a dismal season after finishing seventh in the Premier League under David Moyes, who was dismissed after 10 months. The team also failed to qualify for European football for the first time in 24 years.

The Old Trafford club is looking to revive its fortunes under Dutch coach Louis van Gaal, who signed a three-year contract in May and led the Nertherlands to the World Cup semi-finals.

News of the terms of the agreement will only ramp up the pressure on the new manager as he seeks to return to the club to the upper echelons of the game.

The terms of the Adidas deal were disclosed yesterday after the Glazer family, which owns 90 per cent of the club, announced plans to sell five per cent, or eight million shares, which would see them earn around £89 million.