Man Utd takeover latest: Gary Neville's 16 questions about Sir Jim Ratcliffe's bid as fans call for 'clarity'

Gary Neville believes Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s proposed minority stake in Manchester United “leaves more questions than answers”.

The Old Trafford great and Sky Sports pundit has been a vocal critic of the Glazer family and has always called for a full sale since the protracted takeover process started. 

It took a major turn on Saturday evening when it was announced Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani would be pulling out. That has cleared the way for Sir Jim Ratcliffe but it has emerged the Ineos boss is hoping to securing a 25% stake in the club, not the full takeover wanted by the Qatari bid. 

Like many supporters Neville needs convincing of exactly what Sir Jim’s plan is, given the Glazers would retain control of the club. 

What is Sir Jim Ratcliffe proposing? 

According to reports, the Nice owner’s plan would be to complete a full takeover in time - this being seen as the first step. That is what many United fans will be clinging on to. As a condition of his offer he has also indicated he wants ‘sporting control’ from the off, meaning he would get his hands on football operations. The bid is believed to be worth around £1.3bn and there is no word yet on whether the Glazers will accept it. 

What has Gary Neville said?

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said: “Can this really work and what impact will it have on a struggling organisation? It leaves more questions than answers. My preference is and always will be now for a Glazer family full exit. They have overstayed their welcome in Manchester yet seem oblivious to this fact.”

Gary Neville’s 16 questions about Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s 25% proposal

In the same social media post Neville then laid out 16 questions he wanted answering about the latest takeover development. 

1. What does the distribution of funds look like? Is all the cash being taken out of the club? 
2. Which Glazers are going or is it a family dilution? 
3. How does it impact the NYSE shareholders?
4. Does the executive stay the same?
5. Does the sporting side stay the same above the manager? 
6. Who within the board has sporting control? 
7. Are there future dilution clauses with the Glazer family in any deal you do as a minority shareholder? When are they? 
8. We’re maxed out on the credit card and debt. How is this deal going to change the capital structure and financial issues the club has? 
9. Is any further debt being placed on the club?
10. Is any debt being paid off? 
11. How does this deal impact the board composition? 
12. How does a minority shareholder impact the negative culture within the entire organisation?
13. Old Trafford is tired and is in need of significant redevelopment. How does this deal resolve this issue? 
14. Will this deal allow the development of the training ground to its required standard?
15. Old Trafford requires significant investment on its surrounding land. Does this deal impact this requirement positively or does it leave it as a concrete wasteland? 
16. How does a minority shareholder stop cultural decline across a whole organisation if the people who have overseen this decline still have a majority shareholding? 

What have the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust said? 

“It would be wildly optimistic to think the Glazers are acting in the interests of supporters or are making ownership decisions which don’t centre on their own priorities,” a MUST statement read. “However, what supporters should expect at the very least now is some clarity and an end to this process.

“Furthermore the outcome must include new investment into the club. It cannot be solely about the interests of shareholders, whether existing or new. We call upon all parties to put Manchester United interests before their own interests.

“If the reports are true regarding INEOS obtaining a 25 per cent stake in our club there are a number of questions around the transaction which need clarity before supporters can make any judgement on its merits.”

What was Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani proposing? 

On Saturday evening, BBC Sport reported: "It is understood that Sheikh Jassim's bid would have been a fully cash offer and would have cleared all old debt. There would also have been more than £1.4bn to finance new stadium plans, new training centre facilities, buy players and also for community regeneration projects.

"There has been no public comment from any party around this latest development."

How long has the Man United takeover process been going on? 

Just under a year has passed since the Glazer family revealed they were ‘commencing a process to explore strategic alternatives for the club’ and that brought confirmation external investment and a full sale of the 13-time Premier League champions would be under consideration.

Speaking at the time, a joint statement from Avram and Joel Glazer said: "We will evaluate all options to ensure that we best serve our fans and that Manchester United maximizes the significant growth opportunities available to the club today and in the future. Throughout this process we will remain fully focused on serving the best interests of our fans, shareholders, and various stakeholders.”