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Man Utd takeover: Glazers 'committed' as Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim left in limbo
Express Sport brings you all the latest on Manchester United's takeover following Avram Glazer's appearance at Wembley for the Carabao Cup final.
Manchester United's barren trophy run finally came to an end on Sunday with Erik ten Hag lifting the Carabao Cup trophy after his side beat Newcastle 2-0. Avram Glazer was in the stands, sitting alongside club legend Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Glazer family are in the process of looking to sell the club after two official bids were lodged on February 17. Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani are said to have made offers in the region of £4.5billion, although that reportedly falls short of the Glazers' valuation.
United fans have long protested for the Glazer family to sell up, but Erik ten Hag admitted after the Carabao Cup final that co-owner Avram appears "committed" to the club. "He [Avram Glazer] was really happy for the club, as our owner. He wanted to be part of it," he said.
"He was in the dressing room, good he was here, showed his intentions. I don't know, I'm not involved in that process, but the way he is here you feel he is committed. But the process, what he wants, that is not for me. I lead this team, others are involved in decisions about ownership."
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Casemiro named in FIFAPro World XI
Casemiro has been named in the 2022 FIFPro World XI, joining Kevin De Bruyne and Luka Modric in the midfield.
The Brazilian has been recognised for a stellar year with Real Madrid and United.
\u2b50\ufe0f WORLD CLASS \u2b50\ufe0f
\u2014 Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 27, 2023
\ud83e\udec0 @Casemiro becomes the heartbeat of @FIFPRO's #WorldXI! \ud83c\udf0e #MUFC || @FIFA pic.twitter.com/Q47DLKOR4m
Mary Earps named world's best goalkeeper
A bit of Manchester United Women news coming in...
United and England goalkeeper Mary Earps has won The Best FIFA Women's Goalkeeper award.
\u2b50 THE BEST IN THE WORLD\u2b50
\u2014 Manchester United Women (@ManUtdWomen) February 27, 2023
Mary Earps has been named @FIFPRO's The Best Women's Goalkeeper for 2022! \ud83d\udc4a#MUWomen || @FIFA pic.twitter.com/lNBbKXDf2M
Sheikh Jassim watches Carabao Cup final
Manchester United bidder Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani reportedly watched the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
The Qatari banker is a big United fan and watched the club end their six-year trophy drought at Wembley Stadium.
The Mail also report he always wears United shirts when he plays weekly five-a-side matches.
Sheikh Jassim is likely to have another chance to bid after the Glazers were left unhappy with the first wave of offers.
Second wave of bids incoming
Bidders for Manchester United are expecting to hear back from the Raine group this week.
According to the Mail, a second wave of offers is likely after initial indicative bids fell well short of the Glazers' valuation.
The report states not to rule out new joint-bids, with the funds it will take to gain control of United now clearer.
Sir Alex gets stuck in
Sir Alex Ferguson has been filmed joining in as Manchester United players celebrated in the Wembley Stadium dressing room after Sunday's win.
United's stars recited a number of popular chants, including 'We're the famous Man United, and we're going to Wembley'.
And Ferguson, central to the scenes, joined in on the chant as he celebrated Erik ten Hag's first trophy as his latest successor.
Sir Alex Ferguson getting involved as United players recite chants in the Wembley dressing room. \ud83d\ude0dpic.twitter.com/5Bgg1aYDXf
\u2014 Alex Turk (@AlexCTurk) February 27, 2023
Man Utd share price sinks again
Manchester United's share price plummetted again today as fears over the Glazers staying at the club grow.
Avram Glazer's attendance at the Carabao Cup final has intensified speculation that he and his brother Joel Glazer will remain in control of United.
According to Kieran Maguire, the club's share price has fallen another 12.9 per cent today.
United's market value has fallen by over $1bn in a week.
Manchester United share price has fallen another 12.9% today as market gets jitters that Glazers will not sell. Market value of club has \u2b07\ufe0f by $1.2 billion in just over a week #MUFC pic.twitter.com/CweCuO7RU8
\u2014 Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) February 27, 2023
Glazers signing proving Neville wrong
Casemiro put on another heroic display at the heart of Manchester United's midfield to help them win the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, making a mockery of Gary Neville's original assessment of the Brazilian's signing.
Neville took aim at the Glazers for their scattergun approach in signing Casemiro after missing out on other targets and felt they had given the midfielder a contract longer than was necessary.
He said last summer: "There is a large element of desperation in the signing because a five-year contract for a 30-year-old should not happen. When you're desperate you pay over the odds, I suppose."
But Casemiro has arguably been United's best piece of business from last summer with the former Real Madrid finally providing defensive cover in midfield the club had been desperate for for years.
Ten Hag's open letter to fans
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has penned an open letter to the club's supporters after his side won the Carabao Cup on Sunday.
The United boss noted the importance the club's fanbase had in helping his side beat Newcastle at Wembley for their first piece of silverware since 2017 and he hopes it's a sign of things to come in the future.
"The atmosphere generated by those of you at Wembley was incredible," he added.
"I am proud of my players and staff for their preparation and performances. Yesterday, we saw the required desire, spirit and determination that we must demand of everyone who represents Manchester United.
"We set ourselves high standards every day. At Wembley we met those demands and got the reward of our first trophy together.
"We know the importance of silverware throughout the history of this great club. We are so happy to bring the trophy back to Old Trafford but we are by no means satisfied and we will not stop here.
"Together we have experienced the feeling of what it means to win together for Manchester United. It is truly magnificent and will only make each of us hungrier for more success."
Ten Hag tipped to resign?
Manchester United icon Roy Keane joked that Erik ten Hag should "resign" after the Red Devils boss danced on the Wembley pitch with Antony and Lisandro Martinez.
Keane has previous for slamming managers busting out dance moves, having taken aim at Brazil boss Tite for his antics at the 2022 World Cup.
And the former Republic of Ireland midfielder confronted Ten Hag on Sky Sports about his dance moves, joking: “You should resign after that! You should resign tonight!”
Ratcliffe on the pitch for Nice win
Sir Jim Ratcliffe looked every part the happy football club owner as he celebrated with Nice's players on the pitch following their win over Monaco at the weekend.
The British billionaire has expressed an interest in buying Manchester United and would have had an opportunity to hold face-to-face talks with Avram Glazer after the Red Devils co-owner attended Wembley for the Carabao Cup final.
But Ratcliffe chose instead to fly out to the south of France to see Nice, who INEOS have owned since 2019, in action against Monaco.
And French media report that it was the first time Ratcliffe saw his side win in person with the 70-year-old filmed hugging the Nice players on the pitch after the game.
Glazers 'committed' to United
Manchester United boss gets the sense that Avram Glazer remains "committed" to the club, despite receiving two huge bids to buy the Old Trafford outfit earlier this month.
The 62-year-old was in attendance at Wembley for United's Carabao Cup win over Newcastle, sitting alongside Sir Alex Ferguson.
And Ten Hag revealed Glazer also came into the dressing room to congratulate the United players.
"He [Avram Glazer] was really happy for the club, as our owner. He wanted to be part of it. He was in the dressing room, good he was here, showed his intentions," Ten Hag said.
"I don't know, I'm not involved in that process, but the way he is here you feel he is committed. But the process, what he wants, that is not for me. I lead this team, others are involved in decisions about ownership."
Glazer stand-off
The United takeover appears to be at a standstill for the time being with both bids from Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani reportedly falling short of the Glazers' valuation.
According to the Telegraph, the market value of United is set at £3.75billion while the Glazers' debt with the club stands at around £700m.
It appears as though both bids have been at around £4.5bn - seemingly enough to meet that market value and clear the outstanding debt.
But the Glazers are reportedly holding out for a bid closer to £5bn, meaning both Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe would need to increase their offers.
Avram Glazer awkward moment
Avram Glazer looked every bit the happy Manchester United owner as he congratulated Erik ten Hag and the players on their Carabao Cup win, but appeared to be snubbed by Harry Maguire after receiving his winner's medal.
The England international was seen speaking with United chief Richard Arnold as well as a number of Carabao Cup officials as he was handed his medal.
But a clip soon went viral on social media of Maguire walking straight past Glazer, who was clapping along when the United captain walked by him.
There were some protests against the Glazers from the United fans inside Wembley for the Carabao Cup final with a 'Glazers out' banner spotted just underneath the balcony where the 62-year-old was standing.
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Hello and welcome back to Express Sport's live blog following all the latest news on Manchester United's prospective takeover.
Avram Glazer was in the stands to watch his team's triumph in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday over Newcastle.
It was the first time a member of the Glazer family was in attendance at a United game after announcing they were looking at a possible sale back in November.
He was sat alongside United legend Sir Alex Ferguson and met the players in the dressing room after the win.
Stay tuned for all the latest news on United's potential takeover with both Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani in the hunt to buy the club.