Manchester United anticipates new owners and a fresh era of success
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — It has been a week to remember for Manchester United.
After an epic encounter with Barcelona and at least two takeover bids, a 3-0 win against Leicester on Sunday kept Erik ten Hag’s team firmly in the race for the Premier League title.
It’s fair to say there is a lot happening both on and off the field at a club that is entering the dawn of a new era.
With bids from Qatar and billionaire fan Jim Ratcliffe confirmed after Friday’s deadline for initial offers, Old Trafford was already in a celebratory mood, with many fans eagerly anticipating the departure of unpopular current American owners, the Glazer family.
But Ten Hag is also giving them much to cheer with the impact he has had on a team that has gone 10 years since it last won the league title under iconic former manager Alex Ferguson.
No wonder that one leading fan group insisted before kickoff that the Dutchman must be integral to any new owner’s plans.
“After the frustrations of the last decade, it is clear that enormous strides are being taken,” United’s Supporters’ Trust said Sunday. “Any prospective bidder needs to explicitly commit to backing Erik and his plans to restore United to glory.”
Both Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Ratcliffe have vowed to return United to its former glories and it is not yet known how many other bids were submitted to merchant bank Raine Group by the time of Friday’s deadline.
But Ten Hag is doing an impressive enough job of turning the club’s fortunes around even without the aid of new owners as his team remains in contention to win four trophies in his first season in charge.
The win against Leicester kept the pressure on Arsenal and Manchester City at the top of the table and Ten Hag says the takeover will not be allowed to become a distraction.
“We are committed with this club, it is our club, in our heart, but it is not our job (to talk about the sale),” he said. “We focus on football and perform and that is what the players and staff have to do.”
Whether Ten Hag likes it or not, the topic of United’s next owner is not going away.
