Though it took over a year for the Glazer family to finally announce a preferred partner to take over the footballing side of the business at Man United, it appears that they may have made the right decision for once.
The Red Devils were believed to be the subject of a bid from Sheikh Jassim that was for a full takeover of the club, rather than the partial takeover that was eventually agreed with Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS group.
With supporters aligning themselves to one bid or the other, the thought of the Glazer family still being in charge of any aspect isn’t one that’s likely to have been well received.
However, as football finance expert, Kieran Maguire, has noted, he believes that the Qatari bid was nothing more than a PR exercise all along.
“The Sheikh Jasim offer becomes more curious,” he told Football Insider.
“Somebody who had a practically non-existent social media profile all of a sudden was about to bid for the biggest football brand on the planet.
“But as quickly as he appeared from nowhere, he seemed to disappear, so it could have been a PR stunt.
“The fact that there was no proof of funds given to Manchester United is a huge red flag.
“While there was clearly challenges and complications with regards to Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s investment in the club, at least he was present throughout and wanted to move the club forwards.“
Now that Sir Jim and his staff are in place and expected to be fully ratified as partial owners within the next few weeks, everyone involved with the club should get behind them.
Their task is a monumental one, but if they have the best interests of the club at heart, then things need doing properly and that takes time.
Only in a year to 18 months at the earliest should anyone be making a judgment on whether the Glazer’s did the right thing for once.