Manchester United fans’ trust calls on any new owner to invest heavily

The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) has said any new owner of the club must be willing to invest heavily to restore their former glory amid speculation of a sale by the Glazer family.

The British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe has expressed an interest in buying United after the Tesla founder, Elon Musk, said a Twitter post in which he said he planned to buy the club was part of “a long-running joke”.

The club’s owners, the American Glazer family, are under pressure with United bottom of the Premier League after two games of the season. Bloomberg reported they would consider selling a minority stake, opening the door for Ratcliffe.

“Speculation is mounting about a potential change of ownership or new investors at Manchester United. Whilst supporters have called for change, of course this has to be the right change,” MUST said in a statement on Twitter on Thursday.

“Any prospective new owner or investor has to be committed to the culture, ethos and best traditions of the club. They have to be willing to invest to restore United to former glories, and that investment must be real new money spent on the playing side and the stadium.”

A new ownership structure must embed supporters and include fan share ownership, the group added. United have lost both their league games under their new manager, Erik ten Hag, and host Liverpool on Monday.