Just when it seemed the circus at Manchester United could not become more of a joke, along comes former ringmaster Michael Knighton.
For fans of a certain vintage, Knighton is a clown, the ball-juggling wannabe, who promised the world, but failed to deliver. He was feted like a rockstar by supporters when he agreed to buy United from Martin Edwards for £20million in 1989, then a record for a British club.
But his takeover never went through because he failed to come up with the cash, although he did sit on the United board for the next three years. Knighton, 70, who famously declared he had been contacted by aliens, bought Carlisle in 1992 and ran the Cumbrian club for the next decade.
