Sir Jim Ratcliffe looks set to complete a deal for a 25 percent stake at Manchester United but Neville believes fans will still have a number of questions they want answering
Gary Neville has led the criticism of the Glazers in recent years
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville insists there is still so much up in the air at Old Trafford with Sir Jim Ratcliffe close to agreeing a deal for a 25 per cent stake in the club.
After 11 months of negotiations, Ratcliffe has seemingly won the race ahead of Sheikh Jassim in a deal that will see the Glazers remain as majority shareholders.
It is not the full takeover that many United fans had craved but there are hopes that Ratcliffe’s investment will eventually mark the end of the Glazers’ tenure.
Neville has been vocal in his criticism of the current United owners in the past and has now suggested that the impending arrival of a minority shareholder ‘leaves more questions than answers’.
Posting on social media on Sunday, he said: “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.”
The Sky Sports pundit, who reiterated the need for strong ‘statesmanlike’ leadership at his former club, went on to highlight as many as 16 questions that fans will want answering in the coming months.
The issues raised by Neville included whether any of the Glazers would now depart, who now has control over sporting matters and if Old Trafford would be ‘significantly’ redeveloped.
And in a final parting shot at the Glazers, the ex-England defender asked: “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?”
Neville suggested he had set out a series of non-negotiables for a takeover at Old Trafford, which included a new training ground, sporting project and all debt being paid off.
Sheikh Jassim withdrew from the running after his valuation was deemed not sufficient enough by the Glazers. The Qatari offer, which valued United at over £5bn, was for 100 per cent of the club.
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Lifelong supporter Ratcliffe had long been keen on investment rather than a complete takeover and now looks set to complete a deal as early as next week.
United fans have staged regular protests against the Glazers this season and voiced their concerns again after the news broke on Saturday night.
A statement from the Manchester United Supporters Trust read: “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.”
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