Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani wants to bring several club legends back to Manchester United if his takeover bid is successful.
In particular, the Qatari banker wants to welcome back iconic players from Sir Alex Ferguson's era (between 1986 and 2013). That includes Class of '92 members Gary Neville and Paul Scholes, as well as stars from the 2008 Champions League-winning team.
Sheikh Jassim's main rival in the takeover process is INEOS chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with both bidders waiting to hear back after submitting their final offers on April 28. There is a feeling current unpopular owners the Glazers will remain in place after the saga ends.
As reported by ESPN, Sheikh Jassim is concerned about the lack of former players in senior roles at Old Trafford. It's believed several members of the team who won a Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League treble in 1999 have already been approached.
United already employee several former players - such as Bryan Robson, Denis Irwin and Andy Cole - but in ambassadorial roles. The only former player on the first-team's coaching staff is Darren Fletcher, who's been their technical director since March 2021.
United's first-team coaching staff has often contained at least one former player since Ferguson's retirement in 2013. Ryan Giggs was a player-coach under David Moyes between 2013 and 2014 before becoming Louis van Gaal's assistant for two years.
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Michael Carrick was also a first-team coach under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer between 2018 and 2021. Both Giggs and Carrick went on to become United's interim manager when Moyes and Solskjaer were sacked respectively.
Yet Sheikh Jassim wants more former players to have an influence at Old Trafford. At Barcelona, for example, former stars Xavi, Rafael Marquez, Iban Cuadrado, Oscar Lopez, Jose Mari Bakero, Jose Ramon Alexanko and Jordi Cruyff all hold coaching roles.
United could also adopt Bayern Munich's model by having former players join the executive board, with Oliver Khan as CEO and Hasan Salihamidzic as sporting director. United do have some club legends on the board in non-executive positions, such as Ferguson.
The six Glazer siblings are divided on whether to sell the club, even though most fans want to see an end to their 18-year reign. Co-chairs Joel and Avram want to remain involved in some capacity, while Kevin, Edward, Bryan and Darcie are all happy to sell up.
An update on the takeover saga is expected imminently. The Raine Group, an investment bank who are administering the process on the Glazers' behalf, could announce a preferred bidder in the coming days. Yet they could also confirm the Glazers are staying.
The Glazers are expected to sell at least a fraction of their shares to raise funds to renovate Old Trafford and United's Carrington training ground. Investment groups Elliott Management, Ares, Sixth Street and Carlyle Group are all interested in purchasing a minority stake, a move that could allow Joel and Avram Glazer to remain in charge.
