The Glazer family would consider selling a minority stake in Manchester United, according to reports, as pressure mounts on their ownership of the Old Trafford giants.
The owners have held some preliminary discussions about the possibility of bringing in a new investor, reports Bloomberg, although the American Glazer family is not yet ready to hand over control of the club, which would be valued at about £5 billion ($6 billion).
Discussions are ongoing and there’s no certainty the Glazers will decide to sell a stake in the club. A representative for United and the Glazer family declined to comment as shares rose as much as 7.6 per cent in New York on Wednesday.
United are one of the most successful clubs in world football, winning a record 13 Premier League titles and have consistently been able to attract the game’s biggest stars, including the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Pogba and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The club would attract a host of big-name investors, similar to Chelsea, who were recently sold to American billionaire Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital in a £4.25 billion deal.
The late Malcolm Glazer bought the club in a 2005 leveraged buyout that saddled it with massive debts and the family has faced distrust from supporters ever since. While this was mitigated in the early years of their ownership as the team continued to win trophies under Sir Alex Ferguson, resentment has grown steadily after the manager's retirement in 2013.
Brentford v Man United player ratings
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BRENTFORD RATINGS: David Raya - 7. The Spaniard did not have much to deal during his side's first-half rampage. Manchester United offered a bit more in the second half but nothing which really tested Raya. Getty -
Rico Henry - 7. Was able to limit Jadon Sancho to an ineffective performance and caused problems going forward down the left flank. AP -
Mads Roerslev - 8. A solid day at the office for Roerslev, who didn’t put a foot wrong all game. AFP -
Ben Mee - 8. Comfortable afternoon defensively on his home debut and kept the opponents' front three at bay. His performance was topped off with a goal at point blank range as his side made use of their physical advantage at set pieces. AFP -
Pontus Jansson – 8. It was an impressive performance all round for the Swede. He dealt with everything that came his way defensively, keeping Cristiano Ronaldo quiet all game. Up the other end of the pitch, the defender used his height to be a constant nuisance in set pieces. Getty -
Aaron Hickey – 7. The Scotsman did not find Marcus Rashford’s pace an issue and was defensively sound. Like his teammate on the opposite flank, Hickey also caused problems going forward. AP -
Mathias Jensen - 10. A ruthless performance from the Dane, his constant pressing led to his sides first two goals, scoring the latter himself after stealing the ball off Christian Eriksen. He also caused numerous problems for the United defence with his set piece deliveries. AFP -
Christian Norgaard – 7. Perhaps not in the limelight as much as his two other teammates in the midfield, however had a composed performance sitting the deepest out of the three. Did well to keep creativity from Utd’s midfield at a minimum, one of which being former teammate Eriksen. Getty -
Josh Dasilva – 8. He followed on from netting his sides equaliser last week as he opened the scoring after David De Gea spilled the midfielder's shot on goal. An energetic performance and frustrated the opposition. Reuters -
Bryan Mbeumo – 9. A hardworking performance which was rewarded with a classy touch and finish to make it 4-0 and put the fixture to bed in the first half. His work running down the channels and constant pressing played a key part in his side’s dominance. Reuters -
Ivan Toney – 9. Despite not getting on the scoresheet, Toney did not disappoint. He caused constant problems for the United defence, making the most of the mis-match handed to him with Lisandro Martinez. Also, a fantastic assist for Brentford’s fourth. Getty -
SUBS: Vitaly Janelt (Dasilva 62') – 6. Slotted in nicely in what was an uneventful second half. Yoane Wissa (Mbeumo 73') - N/A. Did well but Brentford were already cruising. Getty -
Shandon Baptiste - (Jensen 74') - N/A. Did well to pick up from where the Dane had left off. PA -
Frank Onyeka (Norgaard 80') – N/A. Picked up a knock while on and didn’t make much of an impact. Mads Bech Sorensen (Hickey 80') - N/A. Getty -
MANCHESTER UNITED RATINGS: David de Gea - 1. Not kept a clean sheet since before Christmas away from home and spilled a soft shot after nine minutes for Brentford to take the lead. Shambles of a second goal. Confidence on the floor and it starts at the back. Made better saves in the second half and fronted up to take blame for the defeat. AP -
Luke Shaw - 1. Good one-two in an early foray forward. And that was about it. Brentford had similar tactics to Brighton, dominating in the centre knowing United would be forced wide or even struggle to retain possession. Off at half time. He was fortunate to last that long. AFP -
Harry Maguire - 1. Booked after 15 in a first 30 minutes when he was under constant pressure. He’s the captain of a team who were all over the place, a team who were a disgrace to the name Manchester United. Reuters -
Lisandro Martinez - 1. Up against the far bigger Ivan Toney and Brentford were right onto him. No chance against Mee for the third as Brentford exploited United on set plays. Horrendous half of football. Reuters -
Diogo Dalot - 1. Had United’s first shot on target, which was cheered ironically by Brentford fans. The timing between United’s full-backs and the wide men in relation to who attacks where was awful and he was targeted by better Brentford players. AP -
Fred - 1. Played as the only defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation, but the game passed him by. United were so easy to read. And exploit. Awful week for a player who had a good pre-season. Reuters -
Christian Eriksen - 1. Caught in possession after 15 in a move which led to Maguire’s booking. Shambles. Volleyed wide after 80 as United had their best spell of the game. Booed by some of the home fans – who he’d served so well last season but turned down to join United. Reuters -
Bruno Fernandes - 1. Skied a shot over after 10, just as he’d done early on against Brighton last week. At the very least he has to hit the target, not send the ball towards Canary Wharf. He’s supposed to be a leader and United need their top men to stand up. Reuters -
Jadon Sancho - 1. Did he play? Zero pressure in the final third against a Brentford side who didn’t have a full team out. The tactical instructions came from Erik Ten Hag and he got it all wrong once again, but the 4-0 defeat was on the players too. AFP -
Cristiano Ronaldo - 2. Caught in possession before the opening goal – though he claimed a foul. Headed over after 52 and had a couple of chances. Fuming. Aren’t all United fans? PA -
Marcus Rashford - 1. Beautiful early turn to play in Ronaldo when the score was 0-0. And that was about it until he crossed for Eriksen after 66. Genuine surprise from United fans that PSG are interested in him. Getty -
SUBS: Tyrell Malacia (Shaw, HT) - 5. Showed a bit of steel. Shame that his first games in England are in such trying circumstances. Deserves to start over Shaw. PA -
Raphael Varane (Martinez, HT) - 5. He’s one of the best defenders in the world. Needs to show it for this United side who are going to be eaten alive in the Premier League if this continues. Getty -
Scott McTominay (Fred, HT) - 5. Dropped for this game to make way for Ronaldo. One of the better players in the second half. Booked. Getty -
Anthony Elanga (Sancho 60') - 3. Made as much difference as Sancho. Donny van de Beek (Eriksen 86') N/A. Getty
Fan tensions have boiled over in recent weeks, with United losing the first two games of the new season, including a 4-0 drubbing at Brentford.
At the opening home match of the new campaign – a 2-1 loss to Brighton – a large group of fans walked towards Old Trafford with banners that read: “Fight greed. Fight for United. Fight Glazers” and “We want our club back”.
“Fans of Man Utd will be excited to learn that a minority stake sale is looming as this opens a door to a new insider in the club who could look to buy larger stakes in due course,” said Walid Koudmani, chief market analyst at financial brokerage XTB.
“A minority stake sale certainly opens a door that looked closed previously.”
