Michael Knighton has confidently issued the claim that his aim to submit a bid for Manchester United is ‘moving forward as planned’.
Knighton had been on United’s board of directors and had also been involved in a failed takeover of the club in 1989. News emerged last month of the 70-year-old harboring hopes of buying United, as many of the club’s supporters have long since been totally disenchanted with the current American owners, the Glazer family.
Knighton although yet to make a concrete offer for United indicated that matters are moving in the right direction and said, “There is much going on behind the scenes.Things are moving forward as planned.I apologise I can’t be on this platform more, just bogged down in meetings.God bless & every good wish to all of you.Yr support is greatly appreciated.”
Sir James Ratcliffe, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be about £14billion, has the backing of Knighton.
In an interview with Man United The Religion last month, Knighton said:
“We are a club in crisis and we all know the reason why. We have an 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 road, it’s time go, because your time is up’.
“And frankly, the fans worldwide have had enough of this regime. The exciting feeling of a new season, which we all have, and that balloon of excitement that is there, it was all burst when we quickly saw the performance against Brighton. The club is in crisis and it will remain in crisis while we have this current ownership.”
Knighton hinted at the similarities between United’s current situation and what occurred in 1989, telling The Daily Mail: “There are strong comparisons between Manchester United in 1989 and Manchester United now, apart from the figures involved becoming much bigger.
“United was a failing business in ’89, they never made any money. When I was juggling that ball, they’d just announced losses of £1.3m on a turnover of £7m.
The fans hated the Edwards family [the owners] and they hadn’t won the league for 22 years.”
Knighton also suggested that the Glazers will have left United by next year, saying “United will cost a premium in excess of their share because of its name and history. Yet the owners have damaged the brand and lumbered it with debt. A reasonable price would be well under the reported £4.5bn they once turned down.
“The Glazers will know they are driving the value of their own asset down. They will not own Manchester United this time next year.”