Avram Glazer confronted over selling Man Utd and bitter Ronaldo exit

Cristiano Ronaldo's Man Utd contract terminated

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Manchester United co-owner Avram Glazer has been confronted outside a restaurant in Florida about the impending sale of the club. In a rare interview, the wildly unpopular figure also briefly addressed Cristiano Ronaldo’s bitter exit from Old Trafford after his contract was terminated this week.

Two big changes have recently been made at Man Utd. Ronaldo’s explosive interview with Talk TV host Piers Morgan, in which he lashed out at manager Erik ten Hag and the club in general, led to his contract being terminated by mutual agreement six weeks before the January transfer window. 

That development was then shoved down the pecking order as news broke of the Glazers’ willingness to sell up. A review is supposedly underway as the controversial owners look at options to ‘boost the club’s success’, including a full sale. 

Avram and Joel Glazer’s 17-year reign has been hugely unpopular among fans for a lack of investment in infrastructure and a risky approach to debt. 

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When asked why now was the right time to sell United, Glazer told Sky News: “As we announced yesterday, the board went through a process and decided that it’s going to look at different strategic alternatives. That’s what we’re doing. We’ll see where it leads us.”

Glazer was then pressed about Ronaldo claiming that the owners don’t care about the club, to which he responded: “I’ll tell you about Cristiano Ronaldo – he’s a great Man United player and I appreciate everything he’s done for the club. I wish him the best of luck for the future.”

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The brief confrontation was over after two questions as Glazer refused to address the issue of why Ronaldo had to leave the club. The owners were said to be furious with the Portuguese’s comments as he outlined how far United’s training facilities lag behind other top European sides, which came as a great ‘surprise’ to him after re-signing in 2021. 

Although the Glazers are open to new investment, which came as music to the ears of United fans, the development may not necessarily lead to the club changing hands completely. A partial sale involving new investors could also be a possibility and prospective bidder, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, claims to have met the Glazers as recently as October and he was told that they don’t want to sell. 

There has recently been a wave of Premier League takeover sagas with Roman Abramovich forced to sell Chelsea at the start of the summer. Raine Group, who are also advising United in their own process, oversaw Todd Boehly and Clearlake’s subsequent takeover and significant investment was poured into the squad during the transfer window. 

Liverpool’s United States-based owners, Fenway Sports Group, have also recently announced that they are open to offers. Some have theorised that Chelsea’s huge £4.25billion price tag and a lack of appetite for the European Super League could have something to do with the ownership domino effect. 

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