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Neville says potential Saudi takeover of Manchester United still isn’t ‘ideal’

Manchester United are apparently the subject of takeover interest from Saudi Arabian billionaires, though former full-back Gary Neville has told fans that their interest is far from ‘ideal’.

United are currently owned by the heavily criticised Glazer’s, the American family seizing control of the club in 2005, though most of their funds were secured through loans, with the £800 million debt then being loaded onto the club.

With the owners effectively having put none of their own funds in to buy the Old Trafford club, Manchester United fans have understandably been furious with the Glazers ever since their takeover, and talks of a potential £3 billion + takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohamed Bin Salman, has got some sections of support excited.

However, Gary Neville has said that interest from the Middle East is still far from ideal due to the country’s questionable human right’s record.

“I know the Glazer family, [I’ve] met them probably five times in my life, but whatever Gary Neville says they are not going to do anything. Trust me. They’re going to sell when they want to sell,” he said in an interview with the Times.

“What is the alternative [to the Glazers]? It is either going to go to a Russian family, Chinese family, Asian family, a Saudi Arabian family. If it gets sold for £3 billion, it is going to be basically people who have £15-20 billion.

“What are they going to be like? Human rights issues of countries I’ve just mentioned. There is no ideal here.”

There have been a number of protests against the Glazers over the years, though Neville suggested that whinging about their ownership simply isn’t getting the club anywhere.

“The idea of screaming about the Glazers every ten minutes, saying they are not good owners of Manchester United, doesn’t get us anywhere,” he added.

“I’d love owners that pump every penny back into the club on to the pitch, that didn’t take out £20 million a year, or whatever they take out in debt against the club. But I can’t do anything about it.”

United currently sit seventh in the Premier League following a disappointing start to the season, though they have shown signs of a revival in recent weeks, winning five of their last six games in all competitions.

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