MANCHESTER UNITED AMERICAN owners, the Glazer family, have no interest in selling the club and intend to stay put for “many, many years”, vice-chairman Ed Woodward said today.
The Glazers have long been the target of protests from United fans for saddling the club with debt since their 2005 takeover, and in August they ceded 10% of their shares in an IPO sale on the New York Stock Exchange.
However, Woodward said that the six siblings in the family remained committed to the club on a long-term basis.
“There is always interest in this business,” he said. ”It is a phenomenal brand and club, but they are not willing sellers at all. They won’t even engage, they are long-term investors.
“It’s a very popular business that people have interest in. The answer is: ‘Not for sale’.
“I talk to them (the Glazers) every day and the excitement they have in this club is undiminished and I don’t see them selling completely for many, many years.”
Nonetheless, Woodward did admit that one of the Glazers could seek to sell some of their shares in the future.
“They could. They are a family of six siblings and from time to time, seven to 10 years, who knows if one wants to sell a small piece or not?” he said.
United are preparing to open an office on the United States’ east coast in a bid to exploit the growing interest in football in the country. Woodward also revealed that India and Australia are among the countries United are considering as destinations for next season’s summer tour.
