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David Beckham and Rio Ferdinand made feelings clear on Sheikh Jassim's Man United takeover attempt

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani in February
-Credit:GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images


The prospect of Manchester United becoming owned by a Qatari consortium led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani split opinions last year.

Any deal through the Nine Two Foundation ultimately did not materialise after the group withdrew from the process in October. That enabled Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos to acquire a significant minority stake in the club unopposed by another bidder.

However, their first 12 months in charge have not gone smoothly. Christmas is a time for reflection, and here is what three former United players - David Beckham, Gary Neville and Rio Ferdinand - had to say about the Qatari bid last year.

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David Beckham

"I think there will be a takeover; I think it's the right time," Beckham said in October last year when asked about the Qatari bid. "We all have our own opinions on who we feel should take over, but in my opinion, it's whoever cares about the club the most and who can take it back to where it should be."

"We all have our own favourites of who we feel need to run the club and look after the club and take the club back to where it belongs, but in our eyes, in the fans' eyes, we're number one, and we want to be back at the top. I believe I know the right people to do that."

Gary Neville

"I'm not opposed to 'state-owned clubs," Neville said last September to Marca. "I haven't been opposed to Newcastle United or Manchester City.

"I think United will be under more scrutiny because the scale of the club is so huge. The reality is that Abu Dhabi has owned Manchester City for 15 years."

Neville also responded to the news of the Qatari consortium withdrawing last October by reiterating his preference for the Glazer family to sell all their shares rather than only some. He referred to the "Qatari withdrawal" as leaving United "on the brink of a minority investment" before asking, "Can this really work?"

Rio Ferdinand

"The Man United takeover is imminent," Ferdinand said in mid-June last year. "We're hearing the Qatari bid is the one that's taking over, the one that's gonna be accepted and the one that is gonna go through. Hallelujah, man. We can't wait. Please let this happen; please let it be true, man.

"Look how long this has gone on for. The Glazers have dug their heels in, and they're going; obviously, it seems like (for) the biggest bidder, the person that bids the most money's gonna get the club, which is normal in negotiations, but they've certainly dragged their heels." Ferdinand added: "The takeover bid from the Qataris is something that we've been waiting for for a long time."