Glazer habit is exposed again amid new Manchester United investment reports

Manchester United supporters were expecting a minority takeover bid accepted this week, but many would have been taken aback when it emerged that it was not in fact Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s.

The INEOS billionaire is still due to buy 25 per cent of the club in a £1.3billion deal, but on Tuesday it emerged that an American businessman would also apparently be buying a small stake. Leon Cooperman, a former hedge fund manager with a net worth of $2.6bn, has reportedly bought just under one million shares in United.

It is the first time his name has come up in the takeover race, which is set to come to a close in the next few weeks. Nearly a year since the Glazers launched its strategic review, which effectively put the club up for sale, only a select few names have been linked with bids.

READ MORE: American billionaire 'takes late stake' in United takeover twist

READ MORE: Who is Leon Cooperman? Profile, net worth and more

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani was perhaps the most high-profile of these, but the chances of Glazers accepting a full-scale sale ended when the Qatari withdrew his proposal last month. Both he and Ratcliffe - who initially wanted 69 per cent of shares - had been made to wait by the Glazers after tabling their £5bn-plus bids with the owners clearly dragging their feet despite the figures on the table.

Al-Thani became disillusioned with the Glazers’ asking price and had enough. It’s a feeling many United fans have felt not only within the past year, but past few and beyond.

The American family have failed to communicate with the fanbase, despite making it one of their pledges after the failed Super League breakaway in 2021. The bits of information gathered from them amid the takeover process has had to be