It was only a matter of time before something had to give and for most Manchester United fans, the coin landed on the wrong side.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani’s withdrawal from the takeover process means there are no longer any full-scale buy-out bids on the table.
The likely course sees the Glazers - and the debt - remain. That debt is the rotten legacy of the current owners and it will take ages to undo.
There will be no quick fix. Al-Thani had pledged to not only clear the shortfall but to invest in the club’s infrastructure however that olive branch has been swatted away by the Glazers, who seem to be leaning towards Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s minority proposal. READ MORE: Why Sheikh Jassim has withdrawn his Manchester United bid READ MORE: United share price as Sheikh Jassim withdraws from takeover bid Upon making his bid in February, the INEOS billionaire was looking for a 69 per cent majority stake that would have seen the Glazers exit.