Finance guru: Man United are being left behind by rivals after Uefa snub
The Glazers have developed the commercial side of Man United at the expense of improving the stadium.
That is the view of finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the latest developments at Old Trafford.
The 2022 Champions League final has been moved from St Petersburg to Stade de France in Paris in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Per Daily Mail journalist Mike Keegan on Wednesday (22 February), Old Trafford needed a major refurbishment to be considered by Uefa.
The Red Devils trousered £232million in commercial income over the course of the last recorded financial year.
And attracting new sponsors has taken precedence over improving infrastructure for the Glazers, claims Plumley.
“This is the criticism that’s levelled at the Glazers,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“They haven’t looked to do anything with the stadium. That annoys the fans and it also means there are other events you cannot host.
“It comes at a big cost to redevelop the stadium, but there are revenue generation opportunities there too.
“The Glazers have driven more of a profit maximisation approach than we have ever seen in English football.
“But that might actually be prohibitive in this sense because there is money to be made in hosting these events.
“The capacity is still the biggest in the Premier League. How big do they expand and what is the cost going to be?
“You have to factor these things in, of course, but it comes down to the style of ownership at the club.
“They have put a lot of effort into developing the commercial side at the expense of infrastructure. That’s been the top priority.
“Other clubs have looked to invest in this side of things and caught up with United in recent years.”
It has been reported that United have hired a master planner to increase capacity at Old Trafford.
Improvements at the Red Devils’ Carrington training complex have also been mooted.
In other news, Man United tipped to seal Harry Kane signing after ESPN update.