Former Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been approached by parties interested in bidding for the club in a consultancy role.
Woodward stepped down from his responsibilities at Old Trafford in February before being retained by the Glazers as a consultant.
An accountant by profession, Woodward is no longer contracted to United and so is free to extend his professional expertise to those interested in a takeover of the Red Devils.
The Mail reports on this Woodward development, “The 51-year-old would be an invaluable sounding board for potential buyers, given he spent 17 years at Old Trafford and still has an excellent relationship with the Glazers.”
“His involvement in any bid could invite a backlash from United supporters.”
Fan fury towards Woodward’s involvement would be inevitable after the many years of mismanagement and rot of the club that took place under his stewardship.
It is during Woodward’s reign that the club became synonymous with multiple failings in the transfer market.
Indeed, the 20-time English champions spent almost £1.22b on new players and only recouped £363m in player sales.
Under the 51-year-old ex-United chief, United saw their influence in English football diminish as the club relegated footballing matters to a secondary position, behind commercial interests.
A culmination of all these and many other things saw Woodward become the subject of fan fury directed towards the club’s ownership.
Woodward’s likely involvement in a future takeover of United would be an unwelcome repeat of history.
In 2005, when the Glazer family acquired United on debt, Woodward walked away from the banking sector to advise them on one of elite sports’ most controversial takeover deals.
Hopefully, potential bidders look elsewhere and avoid the ex-United man like a plague.
