Manchester United takeover deadline is important for Erik ten Hag transfer plans

It's deadline day at Manchester United as the club invites revised bids for a possible takeover. Less than a week after potential investors were welcomed to Manchester to get a first-hand look at the club and its facilities, prospective buyers now have until 9pm to submit any improved offers.

As things stand, Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe remain the only two public bidders for United and are very much framed as the frontrunners for a possible takeover.

It is believed there will be further offers made for the club, though, and several parties, including US hedge funds, have reportedly contacted Raine, the bank handling the sale, to offer financial help for any takeover bid or in the event a sale fails to materialise.

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United fans continue to be polarised by their preferred choice to purchase the club, but what is clear is that any interested party must be committed to building upon the solid foundations that have already been laid this season.

No matter what happens in the closing months of the campaign, United have already achieved their targets under Erik ten Hag, by winning a trophy and looking assured of a top-four finish to go with it.

They also stand a very good chance of reaching the final of the FA Cup and the semi-finals of the Europa League, and they could well end the season with three trophies under their belts. The next step will be to close the gap on the leading sides in the Premier League and for United to mount a serious challenge in the Champions League as well.

Ten Hag has already shown plenty of signs that those are both achievable targets, but there is no ignoring the fact that he will also need to be backed well as part