Man Utd chief backs Glazer regime and questions Red Knights

MANCHESTER United chief executive David Gill defended the club’s financial position and backed the Glazer family’s ownership, despite the £500m debt their regime has imposed.

Mr Gill, speaking at the Soccerex football forum in Manchester, said the Glazers would not be selling the club soon, and questioned how the group of wealthy businessmen trying to buy the club would run it if they succeeded.

“The owners are very long-term owners and have shown that with Tampa Bay which they took over in 1994-5. They are not sellers.

“There is no indication to mean that they want to sell and in that case they cannot buy the asset, it’s not for sale. The Glazers have no wish to sell and from our perspective they are running the club in the right way.”

 “The Red Knights’ proposal, the idea of having 20, 30 or 40 very wealthy people running Manchester United, I don’t know how it would work in practice. They have been successful for a reason – and this has  involved making decisions.

“The better-run clubs are where there is clear single decision-making – Roman Abramovich at Chelsea, Sheikh Mansour at Manchester City, Silvio Berlusconi at AC Milan.”

He conceded that ideally the club would not have debt, saying “Wouldn’t everyone in an ideal world like not to have a mortgage on their house?,” but said that after January’s £502m bond issue the club’s finances were stable and the debt level “appropriate”.

Quizzed by TV presenter Matthew Lorenzo, he said he had not spoken to any of the Red Knights, involved, including former director Jim O’Neill.

He also questioned the credentials of another member of the group,  financier Keith Harris.

“Keith Harris will go anywhere where there’s a bit of publicity. His track record in football is not anything to write home about.”