Former Manchester United executive vice-president Ed Woodward has been approached by parties interested in bidding for the club in a consultancy role.
Woodward stepped down from his Old Trafford responsibilities in February before being hired by the Glazers as a consultant.
An accountant by profession, Woodward is no longer under contract with United and is therefore free to extend his professional experience to those interested in taking over the Red Devils.
The Mail reports on this Woodward development: “The 51-year-old would be an invaluable sounding board for potential buyers, having spent 17 years at Old Trafford and still has an excellent relationship with Glazers.”
“Her involvement in any bid could provoke a backlash from United supporters.”
Fan fury towards Woodward’s involvement would be inevitable after many years of mismanagement and club rot that took place under his stewardship.
It is during Woodward’s reign that the club became synonymous with multiple failures in the transfer market.
In fact, the 20-time English champions spent nearly £1.22bn on new players and only made back £363m in player sales.
Under the 51-year-old former United boss, United saw its influence in English football wane as the club relegated football affairs to a secondary position, behind commercial interests.
As a culmination of all these and many other things, Woodward became the subject of fan fury directed towards the club’s property.
Woodward’s likely involvement in a future United takeover would be an unwanted repeat of history.
In 2005, when the Glazer family acquired United for debt, Woodward stepped away from the banking sector to advise them on one of the most controversial takeover deals in elite sports.
Hopefully potential bidders will look elsewhere and avoid the former United player like the plague.
