Man Utd could be bought out by ex-director Michael Knighton who is preparing ‘hostile’ takeover offer to Glazer family
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FORMER Manchester United director Michael Knighton is preparing a "hostile" takeover bid for the Red Devils.
The 70-year-old served on United's board between 1989 and 1992 and is plotting a sensational return to Old Trafford.
Knighton had initially tried to buy the Red Devils for £20m, before accepting a position on the board as the deadline to prove his funds loomed.
Speaking to , he said: "Everyone knows that we need new ownership of this football club.
"That is my aim, those are my objectives.
"I’m making good progress, I continue to talk to the people, I’ve got some good pledges with good finance.
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"We are now working on the offer document - remember, it's a hostile bid."
Clarifying the definition of "hostile", he added: "That simply means the club isn’t officially for sale, but my intention is to present these owners with a legitimate and potent and proper commercial offer to say ‘you’ve run out of road, it's time to go, because your time is up’.
"And frankly the fans worldwide have had enough of this regime."
Knighton was scathing of United's current Glazer ownership, remarking: "We are a club in crisis, and we all know the reason why.
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"We have an inept and frankly useless ownership who knows little about this game of football."
The build-up to United's 2-1 defeat to Brighton on Sunday was overshadowed by a supporter protest calling for the Glazer family to go.
Knighton continued: "The exciting feeling of a new season which we all have, and that balloon of excitement is there but it was quickly burst when we saw the performance against Brighton.
"Quite honestly, the Lionesses, we could have played them and I think they’d have got a better result.
"The club is in crisis and it will remain in crisis whilst we've got this current ownership - that’s the situation."
On the protests themselves, he added: "It’s inevitable that fans are going to protest because of the frustration, because of the disappointment; what else can they do which shows their disappointment with these protests?
“The protests are brilliantly organised, they are peaceful – that’s very important – no one would support violence.
The protests will continue, that is inevitable, until they bring about what everyone wants, which is change
Michael Knighton
“These are peaceful protests by the fans simply saying ‘look, we want change – preferably we want regime change’.
“So, yes, the protests will continue, that is inevitable, until they bring about what everyone wants, which is change.”
The solidity of Knighton's bid is unclear, with the businessman to have a net worth of around £5.8m - compared to the £3.9bn possessed by the Glazer family.
In a final message to fans, he concluded: "My consortium is ready and waiting, the funds are pledged, the offer document is being drawn up, and it will be presented.
"We’re still waiting for the great Sir Jim Ratcliffe to come forward because he solves all our problems, makes my job redundant, but until Jim comes, my consortium will be placing their bid very shortly – that, I guarantee."
Knighton left the Red Devils' board in 1992 to buy Carlisle United.
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After initial success wore off he appointed himself as manager in 1997, going on to get his team relegated from Division Two.
In the early 2000s Carlisle fans rallied against his ownership, eventually seeing him sell the club to John Courtenay in July 2002.