Manchester United fans’ protest not a distraction, says Erik ten Hag

Erik ten Hag denied that a protest by fans demanding “100% sale” of Manchester United was a distraction, after thousands marched to Old Trafford from the city centre before the 1-0 win against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Some of those involved in the action held banners stating “Full Sale Only” and “Glazers Out”. This was because of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s intention to purchase just over 50% of United and being open to one or more of the Glazers, who own the club, retaining their stake.

The American family is strongly disliked by a considerable constituency of fans because of the debt of close to £1bn loaded on to the club. This began with the leveraged buyout by Malcom Glazer in 2005 that placed United in debt of around £500m.

Some of the protesters on Sunday did not enter Old Trafford to watch the game against Villa until the 18th minute – to represent the 18 years of Glazer proprietorship.

The only publicly declared party interested in a full purchase of United is Sheikh Jassim, a Qatari banker, so the implication of the march on Sunday is that those undertaking it prefer him as the new owner, despite his country’s dire human rights record.

The Raine Group, who are handling the sale, are yet to indicate the next steps and any timeframe for these to the bidders.

After Bruno Fernandes’s first-half goal sealed victory, the manager was asked if the supporters’ protest action had made it difficult for his side to focus on the game.

Ten Hag: “We felt they were behind us, we have to focus to be successful, that’s what fans expect, I’m sure when we give performances like we did all season the fans are behind us. There’s a strong bond.”

United’s win took them to 63 points in fourth place with six matches left in the bid for a Champions