Manchester United’s splurge put to test
MANCHESTER: Manchester United kick off their season at home to Wolves on Monday with renewed hope that they can end a 10-year wait to win a Premier League title despite lingering uncertainty over the club’s future.
Nine months after the announcement by the owners, the Glazer family, that they were looking into selling the club, the process has stalled. Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe appeared to be locked in a battle for control of the club during several rounds of bidding.
But fans’ hopes that a new owner could be in place by the start of the new season have been dashed. Deeply unpopular with fans since they saddled the club with debt in a £790m ($1bn) leveraged buyout in 2005, the Glazers are seeking a world record £6bn for a sports club.
Protests are planned at Old Trafford on Monday but have fallen on deaf ears during nearly two decades of American rule. Despite the uncertainty, United manager Erik ten Hag has again received strong support in the transfer market to try to build on a positive first season in charge.
The former Ajax boss overcame a disastrous start to his reign 12 months ago to guide United back into the Champions League and end a six-year trophy drought by lifting the League Cup in February. Ten Hag have tackled key positions in an almost £200m outlay on goalkeeper Andre Onana, midfielder Mason Mount and striker Rasmus Hojlund.
Onana, who previously worked with Ten Hag at Ajax, is a more natural fit with the Dutchman’s preference for a ball-playing goalkeeper than David de Gea, who left United after 12 years as number one. Mount was a fan favorite at Chelsea and a number of managers at Stamford Bridge believed he was only leaving his boyhood club due to a contract dispute.
But by spending a whopping £72million on 20-year-old Dane Hojlund, there are questions about whether United have spent too much on potential rather than prioritizing the present. An expected bid to land Harry Kane never came to fruition as the England captain joined Bayern Munich from Tottenham in his pursuit of trophies.
Published in EDP BLOGS on Aug 14,2023.
