David Beckham believes that the Glazers should leave Manchester United and acknowledges that he may yet be involved in a takeover plan.
The legendary Red Devils player, a part of the legendary Class of ’92, is currently employed as a co-owner at Major League Soccer team Inter Miami. He has assisted in securing a magnificent deal for Lionel Messi there, but he is still closely monitoring what is happening at Old Trafford. In spite of the unpopular Glazer family being open to proposals, a deal has not been reached as the drawn-out situation continues into the summer transfer season.
When asked by The Athletic if it was time for American owners in Manchester to sell up and depart, Beckham responded as follows: “I think so. I think it’s purely because the fans want it. Once you lose the fans, especially at a club like Manchester United, it’s hard to get them back. Obviously, they (the Glazers) have achieved a lot, and financially, the fact we’re even talking about the numbers of what Manchester United will sell for shows the success they’ve had. But there needs to be change. We’ve all seen that, we all know that.”
The struggle for dominance at United has been driven by Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the richest man in Britain, but Beckham acknowledges he might eventually play a role. When asked if he would be interested in working behind the scenes at Old Trafford, the former England captain replied: “I have a lot going on here at the moment and my focus has purely been on Miami and everything that goes on in my business. But I haven’t been approached and I suppose any involvement with Manchester United would mean the world to me, going forward. But who knows? We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks or months. Hopefully, a decision gets made and if I’m involved in any way… if not, I’ll be a United fan and just do what all the other fans are doing — turn up and watch our team.”
Beckham was a spectator last season as United ended their six-year trophy drought in the Carabao Cup final, and he thinks Erik ten Hag is leading the team in the right direction. The illustrious ex-Red Devils winger stated: “It hasn’t been the greatest of times for Manchester United, on the field or off the field. Seeing Erik come in is a breath of fresh air. He has had some tough decisions to make but he has done it in the most elegant way and in a way where he has got the fans on his side. Off the field, as a fan and ex-player, I just want it resolved. There has to be a decision (regarding the ownership). Whoever is running your club, you want them to be passionate, be involved, make the right decisions, bring in the right players and invest in the club. Because the club does need investment, whether it’s the training facility, stadium, on the field… These kinds of big things need to be made and changes do need to happen, especially when you see the likes of Man City and what they’re doing. It’s not just about what they’re winning. You can see that Man City are building for the future, not just from season to season. They’ve got stability with Pep (Guardiola, their manager since 2016, whose contract runs to 2025), who I am in awe of. We (United) were the top of the tree, we were winning everything, the ones who were successful, the ones where the players wanted to come. Luckily, we still have that Manchester United pull that existed when I went there. We want that back and the sooner a decision can be made, the better.”
The 2023–24 Premier League season will begin on August 14 with Ten Hag’s team hosting Wolves at home as part of their preseason schedule. United is currently in America for this preseason, having played Wrexham, Arsenal, and Real Madrid while there.
