The ongoing Manchester United takeover saga has captured the attention of soccer legend and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham. In a recent interview, Beckham shared his perspective on the situation by sending a clear message to the Glazer family, who have been the club’s owners since 2005.
While Beckham didn’t explicitly mention a candidate to replace the Glazers, he hinted at involvement from Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and discussed the importance of stability for the club.
The Glazers have been deliberating over the sale of the club for nearly a year. Earlier this year, two significant competitors, Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos Group and Qatari Sheikh Jassim, entered the race with significant offers totaling about $6 billion each. But neither offer has been accepted as of yet.
However, Ratcliffe is reportedly considering the possibility of initially acquiring a minority stake with a long-term objective of full ownership, in contrast to Sheikh Jassim, whose interest is in a complete buyout.
🗣️ David Beckham: “I believe I know the right people to take Manchester United back to the top.”
Interviewer: “Could that be Sheikh Jassim?”
Beckham: “(Smiles) We’ll see.” pic.twitter.com/RdSjzssNoY
— mufcmpb (@mufcMPB) October 7, 2023
Beckham stated, “We all have our favorites of who we feel that need to run the club and look after the club and take the club back to where it belongs. In our eyes, in the fans’ eyes, we are number one. We want to be back at the top. I believe I know the right people to do that”.
When pressed further about whether Sheikh Jassim might be one of those “right people,” Beckham offered a sly smile and replied, “We will see”.
Although the Glazers announced in November of the previous year that they might consider selling Manchester United, no real steps have been taken in that direction. Currently, the family owns about 69% of the club’s shares, with the remaining 31% being shared by different market participants in New York.
David Beckham voices support for Erik ten Hag amid Manchester United takeover speculation
Amidst speculation about takeovers involving figures like Sheikh Jassim and discussions around the Glazers’ ownership status, former England captain David Beckham has come forward to express his support for Erik ten Hag, Manchester United’s manager under pressure.
During an interview with Sky Sports, the Manchester United legend shared his thoughts on the situation surrounding the club and its manager. While refraining from naming a candidate to replace the Glazers, Beckham emphasized how crucial stability is for a club of Manchester United’s stature as one of the world’s biggest clubs.
🚨🚨🎙️| David Beckham on Erik ten Hag:
“I think he is a good coach, it’s a difficult time at the moment, but there’s a lot of noise around the club at the moment so it can’t be easy for him. We all want that noise to go away and a decision to be made.” pic.twitter.com/9fd0cOGKbZ
— centredevils. (@centredevils) October 7, 2023
Beckham stated, “Well, let’s see. I think he’s a good coach. It’s a difficult time at the moment but there’s a lot of noise around the club at the moment, so it can’t be easy for him. We all want that noise to go away and we all want a decision to be made for the club, for the fans, for the players, and for the manager as well”.
He further added, “We are one of, if not the, biggest club in the world and we want stability, and I think that’s the most important thing”.
The off-field distractions have coincided with a period for Manchester United on their journey towards success. The team narrowly avoided their defeat by securing a late 2-1 victory over Brentford in their recent Premier League fixture on Saturday. Before that, they experienced a 3-2 defeat against Galatasaray in the Champions League and a 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace in the Premier League last weekend.
