Manchester United football department to play key role in sale of the club

Manchester United’s football department will play a key role in the potential sale of the club over the coming days.

Bidders for United who have made the second stage of a three-step process will head to Manchester over the next two weeks, where they will receive presentations from various senior officials on their areas of expertise. 

And Sportsmail understands that the club’s scouting network, transfer strategy and first team operations will be laid bare.

Those close to the process believe much responsibility will lie on the shoulders of football director John Murtough. 

The ex-Everton exec came to the club on the recommendation of former manager David Moyes and will be able to not only provide a deep dive into the football operation but will also be in a position to deliver a comprehensive account of United’s recent history.

John Murtough (right) will play a leading role in presenting to prospective buyers

The frontrunners to buy United are Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani (L) and Jim Ratcliffe (R) and their teams are set to see United’s football operations laid bare

He may well want to avoid a dissection of Sunday’s 7-0 thumping at rivals Liverpool, after which he was overheard saying ‘Had better days, that’s for sure’ after he was asked how he was feeling.

A 49-year-old former member at United, Murtough, who is from inner-city Longsight, will also be able to speak of the club’s culture and its meaning to the red half of Manchester.

Other areas of the business including the club’s commercial and finance departments are also likely to present.

It can also be disclosed that those involved – including the Qatari bid revealed by this newspaper and led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and the Sir Jim Ratcliffe team – will enlist experts in design and construction to swiftly provide independent estimates on the likely costs to refurbish Old Trafford or build a new stadium and upgrade the club’s Carrington training complex.

The Qatar group is due in Manchester next week. It is thought that Ratcliffe’s team could be the next in line.

After discussions and presentations those in the hunt will then be asked to come back with a second bid. At that stage the New York-based Raine Group, who are handling the process for United’s owners, the Glazer family, will report back to their fellow Americans. 

They are then likely to choose a bidder to enter into an exclusivity period. In theory, there would then be further negotiations ahead of a final, agreed price. The Glazers remain open to offers of partial investment along with a full takeover.

Should things go according to plan, a deal could be agreed by the end of the month.

The next stages of United’s takeover are ongoing as bidders prepare to meet club officials 

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