Michael Knighton, who previously came within a whisker of purchasing Manchester United more than 30 years ago, has claimed that he and a syndicate are in the process of drafting an offer to buy the club from the Glazer family.
Former Manchester United director Michael Knighton, who famously came close to buying the club in the 1980s, has confirmed that he is planning to submit a formal bid to buy the club from the Glazer family.
The American owners are under increasing pressure to sell the club following a disappointing summer in the transfer market and a whole catalog of errors that have been made in recent years. Hundreds of supporters staged a protest against the Glazers ahead of Sunday’s season opener against Brighton & Hove Albion, marching from Media City to Old Trafford ahead of kick-off.
The protest grew in size as it approached the stadium, resulting in the club megastore being forced to pull its shutters down twice. Once inside the stadium, anti-Glazer chants filled the Old Trafford air with just ten minutes of the game played, as Avram Glazer made his first visit to Old Trafford for a Premier League fixture in almost 12 months.
United supporters are desperate for a change in ownership following several seasons of mediocrity, with the club’s dealings in the transfer market this summer proving to be the final straw for many, considering this season was supposed to mark the beginning of new dawn under Erik ten Hag. And with their fortunes showing no signs of changing, Knighton, who came close to buying United in 1989, has confirmed that he and a consortium are working on a bid to try and purchase United.
“We are a club in crisis and we all know the reason why,” Knighton told Man Utd The Religion. “We have inept and frankly useless ownership who know little about this game of football.
“Everyone knows that we need new ownership of this football club and that is my aim and those are my objectives. I am making good progress, continuing to talk to the people, I have got some good pledges and good finance.
“We are now working on the offer document. Remember, it is a hostile bid – that simply means that the club isn’t officially for sale. But my intention is to present these owners with a legitimate, potent, and commercial offer to say: ‘You have run out of the road, it’s time to go because your time is up.
“And to be honest, this dictatorship has worn out its welcome among fans everywhere. We were all swiftly disappointed by the performance against Brighton, which punctured the balloon of anticipation that was present at the start of the new season. While we have this current ownership, the club will continue to be in difficulty.”
Knighton continued: “We must remove this ownership from our football team because they have had their day, the clock is ticking, and we have really been let down for 17 years. The time for them to leave has come.
“They must cease taking such big dividends from the club. These astronomical debt servicing costs must stop. It is now their turn to sell
