With Chelsea owner Todd Boehly seeking opportunities to emulate City Football Group and Red Bull in the way that they hold majority stakes in several clubs across the world, the question needs to be raised, should Manchester United be following suit?
During Sir Alex Ferguson’s tenure at United they adapted a similar approach to what has been used by the likes of Man City today with their most notable partnership was with Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
Although they didn’t share the same owners, the two clubs had a mutual agreement that saw over thirty United players develop their game on loan in Belgium.
This partnership proved to be mutually beneficial as Royal Antwerp earned promotion to Belgium’s top flight, with significant contributions from Fergie’s young talents.