Gary Neville fears Glazer family ploy in Man United sale process
Gary Neville fears the Glazers are using Elliott Management to ‘stay in control’ of Man United or force higher bids from Qatar and Sir Jim Ratcliffe… as American hedge fund makes second stage of sale process
- Neville responded to reports that Elliott made it through to the second stage
- United legend believes owners Joel and Avram Glazer are making a play
- Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are interested in buying the club
Gary Neville fears Elliott Management’s progression to the second stage of the Manchester United sale process is a ploy by the Glazer family to ‘stay in control’ or push the price up.
The US hedge fund have reportedly submitted a proposal for financing that is open to all parties but continue to insist they don’t want to buy United.
Sky Sports News said representatives from Elliott attended Thursday night’s Europa League win over Real Betis at Old Trafford.
The two leading bidders to buy the club off the Glazers – Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani from Qatar and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – have also made it through.
As Sportsmail reported on Wednesday, the bidders who reached the second stage of a three-step process will head to Manchester over the next two weeks.
Gary Neville fears the presence of US hedge fund Elliott Management in the second stage of the process to buy Manchester United is a ploy by current owners, the Glazer family
The United legend tweeted his response to the news Elliott was still involved in the process
United fans fear Joel and Avram Glazer may continue as the club’s owners despite putting it on the market late last year
They will received presentations from various senior United officials, who will lay bare the workings of the club’s first team operations, transfer strategy and scouting network.
But the continued presence of Elliott, who are willing to provide funding of up to £2billion for the redevelopment of Old Trafford, has cast doubt on the Glazers’ willingness to sell up.
Responding to a tweet by Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol, Neville said: ‘Nope! This looks like it’s a Joel and Avi Glazer play to either ‘stay in control’ or ‘force the other bidders up.’ Go on their website. They aren’t an owner of Manchester United!’
It isn’t the first time United legend turned Sky pundit Neville has expressed concerns the Glazers could use funding from Elliott to maintain their control of the club.
Alternatively, the unpopular current ownership may be trying to force Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe to increase their bids to closer to their £6bn asking price.
The frontrunners to buy United are Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) and Sir Jim Ratcliffe (R) and their teams are set to see United’s football operations laid bare
Prospective investors will see presentations on United’s football operations next
‘I think what scares Man Utd fans most is the feeling this Man Utd ownership are running this process to drive a massive price up to try to somehow establish a level which means two of them can stay in and the rest of the family that want out can be bought out by an American fund who wouldn’t mind owning a minority or significant share but not the entirety of the share,’ said Neville on his Sky Sports podcast.
‘That’s the biggest concern. The whole emphasis at this moment in time from Man Utd fans is this has to be the end of the Glazer ownership.
‘They’ve run out of money, they’ve not invested in the stadium… the fans want a new stadium, whether that’s Old Trafford refurbished or a new one rebuilt, we need new facilities. Man Utd’s stadium is behind a lot of the big [clubs] in Europe
‘I still think there is a focus that this isn’t one big charade that the Glazers are running to try to establish a value which would be for their brothers and sisters to exit and the couple that want to stay in to stay. There’s a priority at this moment in time for them to go.’
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