Former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen has commented on the prospect of his old club being bought out by new Qatari owners.
Speaking on the Debrief Podcast for CaughtOffside, the Dutchman, who worked under Sir Alex Ferguson for many years at Old Trafford, admits he feels the Glazers were only ever interested in money when they bought the club.
Meulensteen seems to be more optimistic about what Sheikh Jassim could bring to Man Utd if he ends up completing a takeover, as he knows just how passionate the people of Qatar are about football, even if some fans may well have had their reservations about this potential move.
The 59-year-old had a spell working in Qatar earlier in his career with both their Under-18s at international level, and Xavi’s former club Al Sadd.
“We’ve heard it before and the fans hear it all the time … I hope there’s going to be clarity for the fans that the owners come in and have the right vision and ideas to take the team forward for the next few years,” Meulensteen said.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Glazers have spent over £1bn since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, and given the managers the support to get players in, but the issue is the lack of communication.
“It’s been really lucrative for them business-wise. From the moment they came in it was always business, but under Ferguson and myself we managed it well. Since Sir Alex left it’s expanded in many ways, and is now worth more than £7bn.
“I know the people in Qatar very well, I have warm memories of my time there – of course it was nothing like it is now. Still, these people care very much about football in their country and they’ll be the same with United. Let’s hope they also bring in people with a culture and identity to build the club in the next few years.”
United fans will no doubt hope they can see the end of the Glazers now, with the Americans proving hugely unpopular for much of their time in Manchester.
The post Exclusive: Former Man United coach moves to ease concerns about Qatar takeover appeared first on CaughtOffside.
