Premier League English

Coronavirus one of the toughest blows in Man Utd’s history

Manchester United, although one of the top-flight premier league clubs that are financially rock solid, are facing one of the most challenging periods in the club’s history because of the sledgehammer bludgeoning effects of the coronavirus pandemic, according to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Speaking with sobriety as the club’s third-quarter financial results revealed debts that have escalated 42.2% to £419.1 million Woodard minced no words regarding the hard-felt impact at Old Trafford. The immediate cost of the COVID-19 outbreak is likely to be around £23 million.

“It is undoubtedly one of the most extraordinary and testing periods in the 142-year history of Manchester United,” Woodward told investors on Thursday. “This club is built on resilience in the face of adversity and those qualities are being proven once again now.”

“We remain firmly optimistic about the long-term prospects for the club and for our exciting, young team.”

Woodward has optimistically suggested the Premier League could return in June with the European competitions, including the Europa League, being concluded in August. Although that timetable would mean a delay to the start of the 2020-21 season, Woodward held to his prediction that the idea was to end the next campaign in May as originally planned.

He was unhesitant in revealing that they do not expect to embark on a traditional summer shopping spree while also planning to repay broadcasters £20 million “following delay and broadcast schedule changes to the 2019-20 season.”

“(The coronavirus) has caused significant disruption to our operations, including the postponement of all matches since mid-March and the temporary closure of our retail, catering and visitor facilities at Old Trafford,” Woodward said.

“We are encouraged by the return of the German Bundesliga, which was the first major European league to restart last weekend, with the successful completion of nine matches, all played behind closed doors.

“As in Germany and elsewhere, it is now inevitable that our matches will initially be played behind closed doors when the season resumes. (These results] reflect a partial impact that the pandemic has had on the club, while the greater impact will be in the current quarter and likely beyond.

“There are still profound challenges ahead, and for football as a whole, and it is safe to say it will not be ‘business as usual’ for some time.

“Our club is built on a solid foundation. The repercussions of the pandemic are now being felt widely across the football community, not just by clubs but also by players, supporters, broadcasters, sponsors and many other stakeholders.

“We must recognise that this crisis will not disappear overnight and that the world which emerges will be different from how it was before. That will create challenges for football, like many other industries.”