Manchester United Supporters' Trust (MUST) have welcomed the interest of Sir Jim Ratcliffe in buying the club and urged any potential new owners to work in partnership with the fans.
Ineos owner Ratcliffe confirmed his interest in buying out the Glazers on Tuesday, a spokesperson telling The Times 'we have formally put ourselves into the process.' A boyhood United fan and one of Britain's richest men, news of the 70-year-old's stance has been widely met with positive reaction among Reds.
A significant factor in that positivity is the simple fact that he is not the Glazers. The American family have been at the helm for 18 years, their leveraged buyout plunging the club into debt and over £1billion of shareholder dividends a source of huge frustration among fans. Confirmation in November that they were to 'explore strategic alternatives' for United was met with jubilation, and while much of that has resurfaced this week, a member of MUST has backed any potential suitors to open dialogue.
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"We do welcome the interest of Sir Jim Ratcliffe," Chris Rumfitt, Communications Director of Manchester United's Supporters' Trust told Sky Sports News. "What I would say is that we judge every bid by its merits. We welcome his interest and we want to see the nature of his proposal.
"For any bidder, we want to be sure that there won't be any more debt laden on the club, we want to be reassured that they have a plan to take United back to the top and we want to be reassured that they plan to work in partnership with the fans.
"We're all realistic enough to know that the Premier League is a global hub and a global game and you can see where the owners come from. We're all realistic enough to know that the new owner could come from anywhere.
"That said, most fans of most clubs would love somebody local - a local boy made good - coming back to invest in their club."
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