Michael Knighton pleads with Sir Alex Ferguson to back his takeover bid to buy Man Utd and convince Glazers to sell
MICHAEL KNIGHTON has challenged Sir Alex Ferguson to finally call for the Glazer family to sell Manchester United.
The legendary Scot was at the Old Trafford helm when the Americans took over in 2005.
He worked with them as manager for eight years, and still acts as an adviser at United to this day.
Knighton, 70, was a board member at the Theatre of Dreams between 1989 and 1992 and has launched an audacious campaign to buy the club from the Glazers.
To help him, or fellow prospective bidder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, succeed – Knighton has called on Sir Alex to speak out.
Discussing United at the Royal Academy of Arts, he said: “I call out Sir Alex Ferguson and I call out David Gill.
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“I also call out Michael Edelsen, who was a director when I spent three years on the United board, and chairman Martin Edwards used the blueprint I put forward to begin the transformation of the club into the powerhouse it became.
“Ferguson, Gill and Edelsen still work alongside the Glazers.
“How can they stand by and allow the wilful destruction of Manchester United to continue?
“Sir Alex and David Gill could have stopped the Glazers in their tracks before the takeover happened.
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“For reasons only they know, they didn’t. But now they have to act.”
Further explaining why he feels the 80-year-old should speak out, he said: “Ferguson only has to look at where the team are in relation to Manchester City and Liverpool.
“Look at Old Trafford. One of the most iconic stadiums in the world, in such a state of disrepair that it’s an embarrassment.”
Knighton’s bid has been overshadowed by Ratcliffe’s concrete interest in buying United, amid the news this week that the Glazers could be open to selling a stake.
The former Carlisle owner accepts this, adding: “My consortium doesn’t have the funds to do what needs to be done.
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“You’re talking £2.5bn to buy the club, £500m to pay off the debts, £700m to renovate Old Trafford and another £500m to invest in the team.
“We would need help – and that’s why I’ve been smoking out Sir Jim over the last six months.”