Gary Neville says a Qatar-owned Man United ‘would be under greater scrutiny’ than state-funded Newcastle and Man City as he begs potential new owners to give Erik ten Hag MORE money to turn things around

• The pundit has laid much of the blame for a sticky start to the season on Glazers 
• The club’s proposed sale – first announced in November – has since stalled 
• Mail Sport’s new WhatsApp Channel: Get the breaking news and exclusives here 

Gary Neville has claimed that Manchester United would be under greater scrutiny than either Newcastle or Manchester City if the club was sold to Qatari bidder Sheikh Jassim in a new interview.

The club, which is currently owned by the American Glazer family, was put up for sale in November, with the two front-runners – Sheikh Jassim and British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe – both submitting offers for a total takeover at Old Trafford in the region of £5billion. 

However, the process has since stalled, and Mail Sport reported in September that the Joel and Avram Glazer, who head up the ownership, were set to take the club off the market. 

This saw United’s stock plunge by 21 per cent as the New York Stock Exchange reacted to the report, but neither Ratcliffe nor Sheikh Jassim were informed about the sale being off – although they are yet to hear a further update. 

Former Manchester United defender Neville has been a vocal and consistent criticism of his old club’s ownership, and was similarly resolute on Friday in conversation with Spanish outlet Marca. 

Gary Neville discussed the possibility of Manchester United being a state-run club on Friday

His former side have struggled at the start of their 2023-24 campaign and the pundit has set the lion’s share of the club’s decline at the feet of their current owners

Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim is one of two front-runners should a takeover go ahead

When asked about the biggest problem facing United, who currently sit ninth in the Premier League, Neville was quick to respond name ‘the ownership’, and urged any potential new owners to invest more heavily into the club. 

‘The sales process continues,’ Neville added. ‘We hope that the new owners bring stability to the club in the next five to 10 years, and that they improve the sporting and non-sporting aspects. 

‘In recent years, the stadium has been allowed to deteriorate, as has the training ground and the team. Manchester United must return to its sporting and non-sporting objectives: it must be at the top of European football, and right now it is very far from achieving it. 

‘Last season was a springboard. I hope the new owners can establish the right culture at the club and do the right thing to give Erik ten Hag the money needed to get the club back to where he needs to be.’

The Dutch manager has spent close to £335m on transfers since his appointment in the summer of 2022, and had a mammoth transfer window ahead of the 2023-24 season. 

Man United spent nearly £168m on players including former Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana, Mason Mount who was lured from Chelsea for £60m, and up-and-coming striker Rasmus Hojlund. 

However, his spending has been dwarfed by Premier League rivals Chelsea, who have spent over £1bn since their May 2022 takeover by co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. 

Neville also shared his thoughts on the potential ownership of Qatari investment in the Premier League via Sheikh Jassim, and revealed his belief that there would be greater scrutiny over United than rivals Man City, who are owned by Sheikh Mansour’s Abu Dhabi United Group, and Newcastle, whose 2021 takeover by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund PIF drew opposition from a number of human rights groups. 

‘I am not opposed to ‘”state-clubs”,’ Neville continued. ‘I have not opposed Newcastle or Manchester City. I think United will be under greater scrutiny because the size of the club is enormous. 

‘The reality is that Abu Dhabi has owned Manchester City for 15 years, so I think the important thing in English football is that the control of the owners, not only of the “state-clubs”, but also of the venture capital funds that are entering the Premier League to exploit English football.

‘The Premier League is an incredible product: it’s loved around the world, it’s brilliant to watch, the stadiums are high quality… it’s miles ahead of the other leagues in terms of revenue. 

Neville believes that Erik ten Hag should be more heavily-backed during the transfer windows

Roiling anger at the Glazer ownership has seen fans mount protests at Old Trafford this term

‘But it must maintain its competitive balance at the national level and we also need there to be a competitive balance at the international level in the other European leagues. I’m passionate about that. That’s why I spoke as I did about the Super League.’

The Treble winner added: ‘It is not about the football clubs in our country being owned by the state, but about regulating all types of ownership models that we are now seeing in the Premier League.’

Roiling resentment of the Glazers’ tenure in charge of the Manchester club has seen a rising number of protests both at matches, and abroad. 

On Monday, supporters flew a ‘Glazers out’ banner over the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, where the owners’ NFL team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were playing the Philadelphia Eagles.   

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