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Tag: Manchester

  • Manchester United keep WSL title bid on track with late win at Aston Villa

    Manchester United keep WSL title bid on track with late win at Aston Villa

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    In the best traditions of Fergie-time, substitute Millie Turner headed home the latest possible winning goal to help Manchester United stretch their lead at the top of the Women’s Super League to six points.

    The centre-back converted Katie Zelem’s much-disputed free-kick three minutes into added time to keep United’s dreams of a league and FA Cup double alive.

    Marc Skinner had reckoned it was good to play ahead of title rivals – on the proviso United won. With Manchester City playing Leicester on Sunday and the Champions League semi-finalists, Chelsea and Arsenal, not in WSL action this weekend, this was United’s opportunity to put down their marker.

    They may have played one more game than City – and three more than Chelsea, whom they lead by seven points – but the nature of this United comeback could yet power them to their first top-flight title.

    Rachel Daly twice gave Villa the lead with superb finishes in the first half, against the meanest defence in the division, yet it was the shot she crashed against the crossbar at 2-1 early in the second half that will stick in the England player’s craw.

    Skinner, the United manager, admitted Villa were the better side, especially in the first half, but invoked the club’s traditions under Sir Alex Ferguson in being able to win right at the death.

    “It reinforces that we can do that,” he said. “It reinforces that the great Manchester United men’s teams never gave up until way into … well, it’s called ‘Fergie time’ for a reason, right? For me it shows much more about our mentality and it’s a massive sign of what we can achieve.”

    Villa dominated United, especially with crosses into the box in the first half, with Lucy Staniforth particularly productive. Up against her former club, the midfielder’s corner invited Daly to time her run superbly and flash her header into the far corner. It was an outstanding, old-fashioned type of centre-forward’s goal.

    Leah Galton equalised after Ona Batlle accelerated down the right flank to deliver such a fine low cross that the winger did not have to break stride to sidefoot in her ninth goal of the season.

    United’s kept trying to play out from the back but Villa never gave them time, and Skinner admitted they should have played over the press more. “They were all over us, first half,” he said.

    Rachel Daly scores Aston Villa’s second goal.
    Rachel Daly scores Aston Villa’s second goal. Photograph: Clive Mason/Getty Images

    This was a cracking game, the tempo unrelenting. Anna Patten, the Villa centre-back, headed another Staniforth corner against the crossbar and United looked set to lose for only a second time in 19 games.

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    Yet at the other end, Hannah Hampton made a great reaction save from Galton and, just before half-time, Hayley Ladd was unfortunate to have a goal chalked off after Hampton, running into Galton, was adjudged to have been fouled.

    By that stage Daly had moved level top of the WSL scorers with Bunny Shaw on 18. Maz Pacheco crossed low from the left and Daly was allowed enough time to sidefoot an expert low shot into the far corner with her left foot.

    She so nearly completed her hat-trick on the hour. After a period of sustained United pressure, Villa counterattacked in devastating fashion. Nobbs played a reverse pass for Kenza Dali to cross for Daly to shoot against the bar.

    How United made them pay. Within two minutes, Hannah Blundell crossed from the left wing and Nikita Parris, left unmarked, headed home the equaliser. With Russo heading over and United using all five substitutes, it seemed like their pressure was not going to pay. But then up stepped Turner.

    It was a debatable decision for Maz Pacheco’s foul on Vilde Boe Risa. “It’s a tough one to take,” Villa manager, Carla Ward, said. “The lineswoman’s a yard away and there’s 20 seconds left and she says it’s no foul. The ref’s 30 yards away and says it’s a foul. We’ve had some big calls go against us. Something’s got to change. But my players have been absolutely outstanding.”

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    #Manchester #United #WSL #title #bid #track #late #win #Aston #Villa
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Sheikh Jassim lines up new Manchester United bid but below Glazers’ valuation

    Sheikh Jassim lines up new Manchester United bid but below Glazers’ valuation

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    Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani is expected to lodge an improved third bid of less than £5bn for Manchester United by Friday’s 10pm BST deadline. The offer would be markedly less than the £6bn valuation of the club’s owners, the Glazers.

    Sheikh Jassim, a Qatari banker, remains intent on purchasing 100% of the club but will not pay more than what he believes United are worth. The Guardian understands this is more than £1bn below the American family’s asking price.

    Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the only other publicly declared buyer for a controlling interest, is thought to want to acquire a little more than 50%, leaving Joel and Avram Glazer with a 20% stake. Ratcliffe, one of Britain’s richest people, may have to borrow to complete that deal.

    A third option may be that one or more of the Glazers retain their stake and take investment into the club, with Elliott Investment Management and the Carlyle Group interested in doing so.

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    The Raine Group, which is orchestrating the sale for the Glazers, has set the deadline in the hope of ending the protracted process in the coming weeks.

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    #Sheikh #Jassim #lines #Manchester #United #bid #Glazers #valuation
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Tottenham surge back at Manchester United to stop rot in Mason’s first game

    Tottenham surge back at Manchester United to stop rot in Mason’s first game

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    There were times during the first half when it felt as if Manchester United were toying with the Tottenham, their 2-0 lead at half-time a poor reflection of a game that felt mainly about how the home team would react to what had happened at Newcastle on Sunday.

    Spurs looked inhibited, the 6-1 hammering in their minds – along, perhaps, with all of the other craziness that had made them the crisis club of the moment. And yet as they stared into the abyss, they found strength. From somewhere.

    It would be wrong to underplay the extent of United’s second-half collapse. Not for the first time under Erik ten Hag, they completely lost their way at the first sign of trouble. There were shades of the 2-2 Europa League quarter-final first-leg draw at home to Sevilla.

    It looked as though fatigue was an issue here, along with a lack of quality off the bench. All of the players that Ten Hag introduced struggled, especially Anthony Martial.

    But Spurs and their caretaker manager, Ryan Mason, deserved immense credit. They carried the fight to United from the restart, stepping high and playing the game on their terms, which has not been said for a while. They gave the home crowd, which continued to chant against the chairman, Daniel Levy, something to get behind.

    Pedro Porro, a recent target for some of the frustration, made it 2-1 with a beautifully guided shot, United’s advantage courtesy of Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford suddenly not looking so secure.

    Spurs would get an equaliser, an incredible tonic, and they deserved it. Harry Kane was always going to be a principal subplot given how heavily he has been linked with a move to United. “Harry Kane, we’ll see you in June,” the United fans sang during the first half.

    Spurs saw him here when it mattered. It was his lovely cross from the right that picked out Son Heung-min and he was not going to miss this one, having blown a gilt-edged opportunity earlier in the half. Kane had sprung forward after Cristian Romero stepped up to win a header and one of Ten Hag’s changes, Tyrell Malacia, was caught out.

    Jadon Sancho watches his effort beat Fraser Forster in the Spurs goal.
    Jadon Sancho watches his effort beat Fraser Forster in the Spurs goal. Photograph: Mark Leech/Offside/Getty Images

    The point was probably not the worst for United in terms of their top-four hopes and it is difficult to see Spurs making it into the Champions League places. But the night was about more than the result. Spurs needed a performance to restore a bit of pride and in the end they got one. At full time there were no boos from the home crowd. For Levy, the slightly muted response was golden.

    The pre-match protest against Levy – not for the first time – had seen about 50 blokes gather on the High Road with a few banners, singing some songs. It was not exactly the anti-Glazer movement although, as their United counterparts can tell them, it is one thing to protest, quite another to shift unpopular owners.

    It was flat inside the ground at the outset, the impression being that 60,000 or so were watching Spurs try to shake their heads clear and United sweeping into an early lead. Rashford rode a challenge from Oliver Skipp to work the ball left and Sancho’s finish was bent into the far corner after he stepped inside Porro and Romero. It was a lovely moment for Sancho, who was restored to the starting XI after his positive cameo in Sunday’s FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton.

    The locals were restless rather than seething with anger, the South Stand striking up a few anti-Levy choruses while the man himself sat impassively. There were boos at the half-time whistle but there usually are when Spurs are behind.

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    United’s second came on 44 minutes and the only wonder was that they took so long. It was a wretched concession, Ivan Perisic having been through at the other end one-on-one with David de Gea up the inside left, only to be denied. United broke, Bruno Fernandes sending a raking diagonal upfield to Rashford, who had isolated himself against Eric Dier.

    The alarm bells rang loudly for Spurs, Dier backing off Rashford, showing him up the outside. Rashford went there and blasted past Fraser Forster. It was so simple. When the ball hit the net, Perisic remained deep in United territory.

    Richarlison, restored to the Spurs starting XI, brought a bit of snarl and a few dangerous runs, while Perisic worked De Gea with a header. But United created several clear chances after Sancho’s breakthrough. Sancho had a shot cleared off the line by Perisic while Forster made saves, the best to deny Rashford from a Fernandes cross.

    A “Levy Out” banner appeared in the South Stand at the start of the second half and perhaps United thought that the job was done. Spurs had other ideas. Clément Lenglet hit the top of the crossbar with a header before Porro picked out the top corner with the outside of his boot after a Perisic cross sparked chaos in the area.

    Fernandes ought to have restored United’s cushion only to hit the crossbar after tricking through the middle of the area, nutmegging Lenglet, but Spurs were bang in the game, sensing a reprieve.

    Son’s miss from Kane’s pass was a bad one, bettered only when Dier nodded wide from point-blank range and in yards of space. But Son made no mistake at the second time of asking and Mason could celebrate when Casemiro headed off target at the very last.

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    #Tottenham #surge #Manchester #United #stop #rot #Masons #game
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Arteta urges Arsenal to relish ‘beautiful experience’ of Manchester City clash

    Arteta urges Arsenal to relish ‘beautiful experience’ of Manchester City clash

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    Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal to savour the “beautiful experience” of a potential title decider against Manchester City at the Etihad but accepts his players will have to delve into previously untapped resources to regain control of a neck-and-neck race for the top.

    Arsenal travel to Manchester with a five-point lead at the summit but, given their opponents have two games in hand, anything bar a win would make City favourites to pull clear by the end of the season. Three straight draws have squandered much of Arsenal’s advantage but Arteta praised his side for staying with Pep Guardiola’s team and urged them to hit the heights required for a successful conclusion.

    “A beautiful experience tomorrow night, that is what I want them to take,” he said, when asked what Arsenal’s squad might glean from such a high-pressure occasion. “A beautiful experience where we do what we have to do to win the game. For us to have been able to go toe-to-toe with [City] is great. But it’s not enough because we want to win it, so we have to find a different edge [so] now that we are here we are going to win it. And to do that, excellence is the only thing that is going to take you where we want to go.”

    Arteta worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City for three and a half years before taking the Arsenal job in December 2019. The usually pragmatic manager allowed himself a brief reflection on the pace at which his life has changed since then. “It is the beauty of football,” he said. “Five years ago if somebody told me we would be in this position, him at City and me at Arsenal, and going toe-to-toe with them … ”

    City were 3-1 victors at the Emirates two months ago, winning 11 and drawing three of their 14 matches in all competitions since. They are in searing form but Arteta was bullish when it was put to him that his team might have had a greater chance of winning at the Etihad earlier in the campaign. “They’ve been in incredible form but look where we are in the table,” he said. “That means we’ve been in incredible form as well. That’s why we are where we are.

    Granit Xhaka (left) in training last week
    Mikel Arteta will hope to be able to call upon Granit Xhaka (left) in Manchester. Photograph: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

    “It’s going to be a tough night and challenge but the opportunity is incredible for us. We knew from the beginning, if you want to win a Premier League, you have to go to Spurs and beat them. You have to go to Chelsea and you have to beat them. You have to go away from home and win. This is what we’ve been doing. This is why we’re here. Now you have to go to City and you have to beat them.”

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    Any hopes that William Saliba might make a miraculous recovery to reassume his place in Arsenal’s defence appear to have been dashed, Arteta suggesting the centre-back would be absent into next week because of a back injury that could curtail his season. They have struggled to keep things tight without Saliba and a lack of security was doubly pronounced when Granit Xhaka missed Friday’s 3-3 draw against Southampton through illness. Xhaka is doubtful again and Arteta will be desperate for his most experienced player to recover in time.

    “Injuries for us in the wrong moments, losing three or four players, is not great, but we have to adapt,” he said. “If you want to win the championship you have to go through those moments and somehow overcome that situation. We have to show that now.”

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    #Arteta #urges #Arsenal #relish #beautiful #experience #Manchester #City #clash
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City will be scared before Arsenal title clash

    Pep Guardiola admits Manchester City will be scared before Arsenal title clash

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    Pep Guardiola has admitted he and his players will be scared before Manchester City’s title showdown with Arsenal on Wednesday night at the Etihad Stadium.

    Guardiola is vastly experienced and one of the most decorated managers in history, with 30 major trophies, but says he will still feel anxious before facing the leaders.

    “I manage well but it is a good sign, being a little bit nervous,” he said. “So the people in society, the teenagers, all of them are psychologists for mental health because they don’t accept that being nervous is part of our lives, being anxious is part of our lives, being scared is part of our lives, and nothing happens. We don’t have to be perfect. When we educate our kids, they have to be perfect for Instagram and TikTok and this kind of thing – they have to be a genius.”

    Guardiola relishes the apprehension that characterises his match buildup. “When I feel that feeling I know it’s normal,” he said. “The problem would be if I didn’t have that feeling. I like to live this kind of adrenaline … but in the end I sleep quite well. That is not a problem.”

    His team will also be nervous. The manager said: “They have experience, too. Everyone has to find his own meditation to prepare himself for what they need, either with music or whatever they need to prepare for the game. But the team is ready for a big battle – I know how difficult it will be.”

    Arsenal have taken only three points from the previous possible nine, reducing their advantage to five points. City, who have two matches in hand, will retain the Premier League title if they win their remaining eight games. They are unbeaten in 16 matches but Guardiola insisted he would prefer Arsenal to be in better form.

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    “After three games dropping points it will be much, much more difficult,” he said. “I would have preferred it if they had come here with better results than the last three.”

    City knocked Bayern Munich out of the Champions League 4-1 on aggregate last week but Guardiola thinks they will have to be better to defeat first Arsenal and then their semi-final opponents, Real Madrid.

    “I don’t know if the [performance in the] games against Bayern will be enough to win tomorrow or to get to the final of the Champions League,” the manager said. “In some departments, we have to improve.”

    Nathan Aké is ruled out with a hamstring injury so Aymeric Laporte may replace him at left-back.

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    #Pep #Guardiola #admits #Manchester #City #scared #Arsenal #title #clash
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Erik ten Hag angry as Manchester United denied ‘clear penalty’

    Erik ten Hag angry as Manchester United denied ‘clear penalty’

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    Erik ten Hag insisted that Manchester United should have scored more goals after a 2-2 draw in their Europa League play off first leg against Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

    The Dutchman also complained that Barcelona had escaped a gamechanging clear red card and a penalty after Jules Koundé bundled over Marcus Rashford near the edge of the area at 2-1 to the visitors, suggesting that the atmosphere might have influenced the referee, Maurizio Mariani.

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    “It was 2-1, a clear foul on Marcus Rashford and a penalty,” Ten Hag said. “If it’s in the box or just outside the box, it’s definitely a red card. I asked the referee: why? He said it was outside the box and it was no foul. The referee and the linesman were in a good position and if not there is the VAR. It’s not good. It’s a really bad decision. Maybe they were impressed by the pressure that Barcelona made but they can’t be at the highest level.”

    Barcelona also had a penalty appeal when the ball appeared to hit Fred on the arm, with coach Xavi Hernández confronting the referee at full time. “It’s a penalty the size of a cathedral; how are you going to feel?” Xavi said. “I don’t know what they have to do to blow a penalty for handball. They looked at it as well and said no. It seems incredible to me, incredible.”

    When that was put to Ten Hag and it was suggested that the two decisions evened each other out, he replied: “You can’t see it this way. The Rashford one is at 2-1 and the momentum of the game is totally different. I didn’t see the handball, so maybe it can be a mistake. Maybe it can be two mistakes. But you can’t equalise the two because of the moment in the game, in the whole round. That was an important decision where he was wrong.

    “In a game when you create five or seven chances you have to finish more,” the United coach added. “We should have on this game. We need to be more clinical, finish our chances. In such a game we created many chances and there is a disappointment that we did not finish them.”

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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Grealish and Haaland put Manchester City top of table at Arsenal’s expense

    Grealish and Haaland put Manchester City top of table at Arsenal’s expense

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    It is threatening to become a Premier League truism. When Manchester City face Arsenal, they always win. But never in a meeting as loaded as this. City’s 11th straight victory over Arsenal in the competition carried them above their opponents on goal difference at the top of the table, although they have played an extra game. As a statement of intent about a fifth title in six years, it was red hot.

    Arsenal were the better team in the first half, running on passion, showing character to recover from Kevin De Bruyne’s wonderful opener. It was Bukayo Saka who equalised with the second-most important penalty of his career, coolly rolled past Ederson and, at the interval, you would have backed Mikel Arteta’s team to emerge from their wobble – the loss at Everton followed by the draw at home against Brentford on Saturday.

    City simply narrowed their focus and raised their level. The second half would belong to them, with Erling Haaland to the fore. When he started to hare around and barge people about, it was as if he had zapped bolts of chaos at the Arsenal defence and fear around the Emirates.

    Haaland played a part in Jack Grealish’s goal for 2-1, taking a pass from Bernardo Silva after Gabriel Magalhães had given away possession and ushering in Ilkay Gündogan. Jack Grealish took over, finishing with his right foot via a slight deflection off Takehiro Tomiyasu.

    It was Haaland who moved the game beyond Arsenal when he rammed home City’s third. Gündogan was involved and De Bruyne cut the ball back. Touch from Haaland, finish, game over. In the blink of an eye and with the latest demonstration of his explosiveness. Haaland has 26 league goals already this season.

    The symbol of City’s chutzpah? De Bruyne walking around the pitch and eyeballing the Arsenal support after his 87th-minute substitution as they threw bottles at him.

    De Bruyne had not scored in his previous 13 City appearances but he corrected that after an error by Tomiyasu, who Arteta had selected ahead of Ben White at right-back. Tomiyasu was facing his own goal, under pressure from Grealish, when he decided to go back to Aaron Ramsdale, which went horribly wrong. De Bruyne had started loosely but he read Tomiyasu’s intentions and, with Ramsdale off his line, he knew what he had to do. The first-time left-footed lob was perfection.

    The respective siege mentalities were a theme. Arteta had muttered darkly about the VAR aberration from the Brentford game, which allowed the equaliser against his team to stand, saying it had given everybody at the club “more desire to pass this hurdle they’ve put on us”.

    Guardiola, though, could see Arteta’s dodgy refereeing decision and raise it by a hundred or so Premier League charges for financial irregularities. The City manager has harnessed the mood of defiance and persecution at the Etihad. Happy flowers? Guardiola wants hungry fellas. Or something like that.

    Bukayo Saka scores a penalty for Arsenal against Manchester City
    Bukayo Saka scores Arsenal’s equaliser from the penalty spot in the 42nd minute. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

    De Bruyne’s goal was a kick in the teeth for Arsenal because they ought to have been in front. Jorginho – in for the injured Thomas Partey – had intercepted a De Bruyne pass to release Eddie Nketiah, who saw his shot blocked by Rúben Dias, but the big chance came on 22 minutes when Oleksandr Zinchenko whipped over a cross from the left. Nketiah flashed a free header wide.

    Haaland had nearly got around the back of Tomiyasu in the 16th minute but it was Arsenal who forced the issue, their press high and effective. Ederson would be booked for timewasting mainly because he could not see a pass out. By then, Tomiyasu had lifted a volley high, Saka been held up by Nathan Aké after a wonderful move and Nketiah miscontrolled following a Gabriel Martinelli flick. Arsenal bristled with energy; an equaliser was in the air.

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    It came when Nketiah chased a ball over the top and Ederson seemed to stop, the Arsenal striker going into him after hooking in a shot that Aké scrambled off the line. The referee, Anthony Taylor, penalised Ederson for the foul, although he decided against showing him a second yellow card. Enter Saka. Ederson pointed to his right. Saka read the bluff and put the kick there. A breathless first half ended with a Rodri header flicking off Aké’s heel and striking the Arsenal crossbar.

    Guardiola had made the journey to north London with a personal pledge not to die wondering. Hence the boldness of his starting lineup, packed with attacking midfield menace and Silva as a left-back when City were out of possession. Guardiola would change to a back four when he introduced Manuel Akanji for Riyad Mahrez on the hour and there was greater aggression from his team.

    City thought they had a penalty just before the system change when Haaland muscled past Gabriel and was fouled by the defender. Taylor, under relentless pressure throughout, pointed to the spot only for the VAR, David Coote, to spot that Haaland had been offside from Kyle Walker’s ball forward.

    Nketiah almost got on to a Tomiyasu cross but it was City who came to push, Rodri working Ramsdale with a header; Akanji seeing the rebound blocked. Haaland was also denied by the goalkeeper after a Zinchenko mistake before Grealish enjoyed his big moment. Haaland deserved a goal and he would get it. Arsenal’s evening was summed up when Nketiah blew another gilt-edged header in added time.

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    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Erik Ten Hag faces ‘reality’ before Manchester United’s Barcelona test

    Erik Ten Hag faces ‘reality’ before Manchester United’s Barcelona test

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    Barcelona. Manchester United. A packed Camp Nou. A Thursday night. Oh, that. Erik ten Hag described this Europa League playoff as the clubs’ “reality” right now but insisted that they are on their way back to a better place, with both teams needing a “reset” and this meeting now offering a measure of their recent revival. The United manager has also admitted that he does not know why he was unable to convince Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong to move to Old Trafford in the summer.

    “It’s good [to meet],” the United manager said. “We both have the ambition to be in the Champions League and not just be there but really [have an] impact on the competition – get out the group, reach the semi-finals, the final, even win it. But the reality is that we are here. That tells you that both clubs need a reset. We are both going in the right direction and it is exciting to face each other because it will help us. You know where you are. It is a good test and from this test we can get better.”

    According to Luke Shaw, United were “nowhere near where we should have been” at the start of the season but they have now won 12 and lost just one of their last 15 games. Barcelona are also rebuilding and have won 14 and drawn one in the same period. This game has been seen in Catalonia as a test of how good Barcelona really are and Shaw, who said he did not yet know if he might play at centre-back, insisted the same was true for United.

    “We have learnt and grown, and that is showing in our performances,” he said. “This is a big game and it will show us where we are.”

    They have done so without their prime target in the summer, after De Jong resisted United’s overtures – and Barcelona’s attempts to make him leave. He has since become a fundamental to the improvement at the Camp Nou. Asked why he was unable to convince his countryman to join him, Ten Hag smiled and replied: “I don’t know.”

    He said: “Frenkie de Jong is an incredible player and he would strengthen any club in the world. He has a quality that means that any team would be better with him. He is a fantastic player, he can play out from the back, he always has time. It was a pleasure to work with him [at Ajax].”

    Though De Jong could not be persuaded, Casemiro could, and Shaw said that the Brazilian gives the defence a sense of security that has been central to their improvement.

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    “It has been quite obvious how important he is to us [by what happens] when he doesn’t play,” he said. “For us defenders, it gives us the feeling that there is security: his positioning, where he always is, he loves to win the ball and tackle. We say to him that he likes to give the ball away just so he can go and win it back again. He is extremely important and I am happy to have him back because he has been a big miss for us.”

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    #Erik #Ten #Hag #faces #reality #Manchester #Uniteds #Barcelona #test
    ( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

  • Emir of Qatar enters race to buy Manchester United

    Emir of Qatar enters race to buy Manchester United

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    London: The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, is interested in buying Premier League giants Manchester United, according to a media report.

    He values the club below the Glazer family’s 6 billion pound price and there is recognition UEFA may have to agree to a regulation change as the country’s ruler already owns French club Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), The Guardian reported

    The emir purchased PSG in 2011 through Qatar Sports Investment. Current UEFA rules do not allow clubs with the same owners to face each other in one of its competitions, so a Qatar-owned United and Qatar-owned PSG would not be allowed to compete in a Champions League tie should such a fixture arise, The Guardian reported.

    While the purchase of United is being explored, it is understood those driving the Qatar interest are conscious of the UEFA rules and a solution is being sought. This could include trying to persuade UEFA to consider the possibility of adjusting or changing its regulations.

    The Glazer family put United up for sale in November last year, announcing it is “commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives”, potentially bringing an end to its 17-year ownership of the club.

    The Raine Group, which oversaw the sale of Chelsea, has been appointed as the exclusive financial advisor, and it believed 6 billion pound is wanted for the 20-time champions of England. However, the emir believes 4.5 billion pound is a more realistic price, The Guardian reported.

    Sir Jim Ratcliffe, a billionaire regarded as being one of Britain’s richest people, confirmed his company, Ineos, was in the running to buy United last month. Radcliffe, 70, was born in Failsworth in Greater Manchester, and is a lifelong United supporter.

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    #Emir #Qatar #enters #race #buy #Manchester #United

    ( With inputs from www.siasat.com )