It was November 22 that the Glazers announced they were looking for “strategic alternatives” at Manchester United.
The much maligned Americans effectively put the ‘For Sale’ signs outside Old Trafford, signalling an end to their disastrous reign in control of the Premier League giants. But eight months on, the saga continues.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe are the two parties vying to complete a takeover, with various reports that both were close to passing the Glazers’ exhaustive tests to become the new owners.
Most recently, the Qatari banker, Sheikh Jassim, is said to be leading the race amid claims negotiations to grant him exclusivity are underway. But with the transfer window open, the confusion continues and United appear no closer to any kind of clarification in the boardroom.
We asked our Mirror Football a simple question: what do the new owners - whoever they are - need to do when they are finally picked?
Andy Dunn
The three priorities for the Manchester United hierarchy should be signings, signings and signings.
Erik ten Hag did well with the squad he had at his disposal but United cannot afford to stand still.
If reports suggesting they have thought better of going for Harry Kane, they should think again and a world class midfielder should also be on the list.
If they think Mason Mount is that man, then offer more than a derisory £40million.
And get the outgoings sorted - Harry Maguire, in particular - so that more money can be freed to get a blue chip replacement for David de Gea, whose fantastic time at Old Trafford is surely at an end.United simply cannot afford to fiddle while the Glazers decide whether or not they want to sell.
Mike Walters
Top priority for the Glazers? Sell up and get out.
Top priority for the new owners? Sign Harry Kane, a decent centre-back and spend a few bob on upgrading Old Trafford, which looks a tired stadium in urgent need of a lick of paint.
The Manchester United takeover has become a colossal bore. If we want a tedious soap opera, they film one every day down the road on Coronation Street.
Manager Erik ten Hag is the biggest loser amid all the procrastination and endless revised deadlines - unless the ownership saga is settled soon, his transfer budget this summer will be nowhere near the level required to make a dent in the noisy neighbours' superiority complex.
United are in danger of being left behind - on and off the pitch. Time for the Glazers to pack their bags, hand over the keys and get out of town.
James Nursey
Erik ten Hag enjoyed a highly-promising first season in charge at Manchester United.
He ended the club's wait for silverware and got United back into the Champions League.
But the gulf between them and their noisy neighbours is painfully wide as Manchester City's stunning treble illustrated.
They need a new committed owner urgently to enable Ten Hag to strengthen his squad with a much needed transfer kitty.
Harry Kane would be a fine start but I suspect the delays over the takeover have made that deal impossible now.
How many other transfer targets are going to slip away as the saga rumbles on?
Ten Hag must be getting increasingly frustrated at these costly delays.
I know from covering numerous takeovers, they invariably take a lot longer than expected and United really should have factored this into their summer plans.
Simon Bird
Manchester United is a club in limbo until their takeover saga is concluded.
Having reported on the prolonged, on/off Newcastle United sale process, which took years, and repeated pledges by Mike Ashley to sell, we’ve seen first hand how it can block the development of a club.
It can lead to reduced spending, lack of hope, and drift, as everyone waits for change.
I reckon that already the process is risking United doing major transfer deals - like signing Harry Kane - with no firm owner or plan or budget to work to. Erik Ten Hag must be, at best, worried.
When these deals get struck, they happen quickly, but do the Glazers really want out? Will they milk United for more cash? The Old Trafford faithful will be in a rage - protests afoot - unless there is definitive progress before the season kicks off.
United need a fresh start - my preference would be Ineos chief Jim Ratcliffe - but they need a clear vision for the future soon.
Colin Millar
Manchester United need to spend money. They need to spend it on the first-team squad, in the training facilities, on their women’s team and on Old Trafford. On returning to excellence and away from half-hearted mediocrity.
The Glazer period has been marked by an unwillingness to spend and then, too slow to realise the error, overcompensating by spending too much on panic signings.
The good news for United is that Ed Woodward is no longer involved in transfers and Erik ten Hag is a superb coach who knows exactly what players he wants.
United must recruit smartly to sign two forwards, a new goalkeeper and strengthen depth in midfield and defence. There are no shortage of underperforming high-earners who can be moved on: David de Gea, Harry Maguire, Anthony Martial, Fred, Alex Telles and Eric Bailly for starters.
The club need to be ruthless, they need to improve in buying and selling, to invest in their outdated facilities. The sooner the Glazer family no longer control the club, the quicker they can fulfil these ambitions.
Tom Blow
Once this tedious takeover is consigned to Mirror Football's vast archives, Man Utd's new custodians must focus on renovating - but not rebuilding - Old Trafford.
When I was a lad, Old Trafford was one of the most glamorous grounds in the country. I was mesmerised by the place, so much so that I got lost during my first visit for the FA Cup semi-final between Sheffield United and Arsenal in 2003 (thankfully, I was found).
Today, the place is a rust bucket. It doesn't even compare to the Etihad or Tottenham's new(ish) stadium.
It seems no one told The Glazers they need to renovate stadiums every few years. The Emirates is only 17 years old - and even that's been done up in the last 12 months.
Old Trafford needs to be renovated, bit by bit, to make it one of the best grounds in the country again.
They shouldn't knock the place down and build it again from scratch, as suggested. It will take too long for Man Utd to return to their spiritual home. Besides, where would they play in the meantime?
Felix Keith
It has now been 209 days since the Glazers announced their intentions to “seek strategic alternatives” for Manchester United. Everyone involved is now fed up.
Staff are worried about their jobs, Erik ten Hag is worried about his summer budget and fans are worried the Glazers might not actually leave. The number one priority therefore simply has to be to make a decision.
The current situation is farcical. A decision – be it in favour of Sheikh Jassim, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, or a minority offer which sees the Glazers stay – will allow the club to exit its current state of limbo and move forward.
Fans are generally focused on transfers at this time of year, but the signing of Harry Kane or Kim Min-jae or whoever it may be, is of little importance if there is no clarification over the future ownership of the club.
For the sake of United and their furious supporters, it would be best if the Glazers finally sold up, took their huge profits and cleared off.
Samuel Meade
There is, understandably, a lot of talk about the club's infrastructure and how its decline mirrors that of the club as a whole. Make no mistake though, when a team are winning, no one cares. Don't think Old Trafford was a barometer of worldwide stadia when Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 having won the title.
All that points to success on the pitch, more or less, ensuring everything else can be tolerated. As a result United need to pour their resources into the problem areas. Ten Hag looks like a man who the club and the fans can trust, he's very much in it for the long haul and has built up plenty of credit in his debut season.
Therefore, if Harry Kane costs more than £100m, think seriously about paying it. If there's a centre-half, a central midfield or a wide forward who can seriously improve the team, don't baulk at the transfer fee or haggle for months only to eventually miss out anyway. Show some conviction and create a team on the pitch that means business.
Ben Husband
Ten Hag won’t admit it publicly, but this whole fiasco is now a threat to the impressive progression under his stewardship. Declan Rice already looks a no go, Harry Kane is a similar story.
Whoever finally does enough to satisfy the Glazers’ demands needs to act quickly in the transfer market. Ten Hag is a manager with a glowing reputation who will be catching the eyes of clubs across the world.
The first port of call is to make it clear how valuable he is to the new project - and back that up with a commitment to his wishes in the window.
