Man Utd 'bidder' Michael Knighton denied he 'took over as manager' of last club he owned
Michael Knighton recently revealed his desire to purchase Manchester United. During his previous spell as Carlisle owner, he moved to deny he had ever taken over as manager
Michael Knighton wants to take over Manchester United - but during a previous ownership he moved to deny claims he'd taken over as manager too.
The former United director recently revealed he is working on a bid to purchase the club from the Glazer Family. Red Devils’ supporters displayed their anger at their ownership once more by marching from Media City to Old Trafford before their 2-1 home loss to Brighton and Hove Albion.
However, Knighton, who went on to buy Carlisle United in 1992, ‘took over as manager’ in 1997. Knighton was met with claims he had taken over managerial duties alongside young coaches John Halpin and David Wilkes, after he dismissed popular manager Mervyn Day.
Read More: Famed Man Utd 'buyer' Michael Knighton working on bid to buy Red Devils off Glazers
But, Knighton ‘categorically denies’ that he was ever the manager of the club and that Halpin and Wilkes were the ones at the reins. "I wanted to give those two young lads a chance,” Knighton said in an interview with the News and Star, the Cumberland News last October.
“I said if there was any flak, I would take it. I was always a tracksuit chairman anyway.
“But if you’re a manager you select the team, take the coaching, and do the team-talks at half-time. I never took one coaching session or did one team-talk, ever.” Knighton revealed his ambitions to take over the Red Devils in a recent appearance with ‘Man Utd The Religion’.
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"We are a club in crisis and we all know the reason why," Knighton said. "We have an inept and frankly useless ownership who know little about this game of football.
"Everyone knows that we need new ownership of this football club and that is my aim and those are my objectives. I am making good progress, continuing to talk to the people, I have got some good pledges and good finance.
"We are now working on the offer document. Remember, it is a hostile bid - that simply means that the club isn't officially for sale. But my intention is to present these owners with a legitimate, potent and commercial offer to say: 'You have run out of road, it's time to go, because your time is up'.”
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