09 March 2023 , 08:48
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Manchester United football director John Murtough will be involved in a presentation to potential new owners, it has been claimed.
Current owners the Glazer family put the club up for sale in November 2022, with bidders making themselves known in the lead-up to February's soft deadline. British businessman Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani are among those to express an interest, while a number of investment groups have looked into providing funding.
The next step, it seems, will involve the football side of the club. Matters including transfers and scouting are expected to come into focus as a presentation is made to those looking to end the Glazers' decade-plus stint in charge.
According to The Mail, transfers, scouting and 'first team operations' will be among the topics covered in the presentation. Murtough is expected to play a big role, having been with the club since 2014 and taken over as football director towards the end of the 2020-21 season.
The same report suggests the Qatari bid could be in Manchester as soon as next week. Ratcliffe's party are due to follow not long after.
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While bidders have already made themselves known, a second round of bidding is expected to follow, and a decision on the future of Manchester United could reportedly be made by the end of the month. There is still no guarantee of a sale, though, while there remains a possibility that investors allow one or more of the Glazer family to keep some level of involvement.
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Man Utd football director John Murtough is expected to play a role in presenting to potential bidders (PA)Murtough was previously heavily involved in the move to appoint manager Erik ten Hag, who led United to their first trophy since 2017 by delivering a Carabao Cup win. “He showed passion, energy and enthusiasm for the challenge,” Murtough said of Ten Hag at a Fans' Forum meeting, having interviewed the former Ajax boss in Amsterdam.
Under their new manager, United have begun to overhaul their squad, spending big in the summer before offloading the big wages of Cristiano Ronaldo in November. In addition to expensive recruits including Casemiro and Antony, youngsters such as Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo have featured this season.
Despite the cup success, though, the mood around Old Trafford has been dented by a 7-0 league defeat at Liverpool. The result all but ends their slim title hopes, while putting pressure on Ten Hag ahead of a Europa League game against Real Betis.
“We are in the same boat, we win together, we lose together, we make a mess on Sunday and we have to deal with it," Ten Hag admitted. "The players, they reflected well, we know, but we also know in a season setbacks will always be there, it was a huge setback, that’s clear, when you had a run, 23 games with one loss, that was the second, the way it was there as a lot of lessons in it and that can help us for the future."