David Beckham is reportedly in line for an ambassadorial role at
Manchester United, should Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani successfully
complete the club's takeover.
According to talkSPORT, the former England captain would be offered the
post should Jassim manages to secure control of United.
The Glazers put the club up for sale 11
months ago, but despite several bids from Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the
impasse appears no closer to be resolved.
Speaking
on Sunday as he attended the Qatar Formula One Grand Prix, Beckham demanded
stability at United and suggested he 'knows the right people' to purchase
his former club.
He told Sky Sports as cited by Sports Central: 'We are one of the, if
not the biggest club in the world. We want stability. 'I think that's the most
important thing. 'We all have our favourites of who we feel needs to run
the club and look after the club to take it back to where it belongs. 'In our
eyes, in the fans eyes, we are number one. We want to be back at the top and I
believe I know the right people to do that so we'll see!'
Last
year, Beckham was criticised for controversially agreeing to serve as
ambassador for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 48-year-old, who won six Premier League
titles with United, was paid £10m to endorse the event and insisted
'engagement is the only way of making change'.
News of his possible involvement with the
Qatari takeover bid comes amid a prolonged stasis in the selling process.
As reported by Mail Sport last week, Ratcliffe is considering ditching
his bid to takeover Manchester United in favour of buying a minority stake
– which would leave the Glazer family in control of the club.
In a shock move that would no doubt trigger outrage among many of
United’s supporters, the petrochemicals billionaire is mulling over a change of
tack in an attempt to break the deadlock in what has been a tedious
process which is now approaching its tenth month.
A spokesperson for Ratcliffe declined to
comment, but it is understood that one of the options being looked at is the
purchase of around 25 per cent of United’s shares.
That
would likely bring in a figure close to £1.5bn for the Glazers, who paid £800m
for the club in 2005 before plunging that debt onto United’s books.
Potential legal challenges had been raised as
a prospect should that route be taken. Ratcliffe’s main rival, Sheikh Jassim,
submitted his final bid for total control of the club back in May.
Mail
Sport understands that the Qatari remains committed to a
100 per cent takeover.
United have endured a difficult start to the
season, suffering four defeats in eight Premier League games so far and losing
both of their Champions League fans.
Beckham, however, urged his former club
to remain patient with Erik ten Hag as things 'haven't been easy for him' with
the uncertainty surrounding the club.
Beckham
said: 'Let's see. He's a good coach. 'It is a difficult time at the moment
but there's a lot of noise around the club at the moment. It can't be easy for
him. 'We all want that noise to go away. We all want a decision to be
made for the club, for the fans, for the players and for the managers.'
The
impasse surrounding the takeover has further strained the relationship between
the Glazers and the United fans.
The American owners have never been popular in their 18 years at the
helm and fans have regularly inside and outside Old Trafford to demand a sale.
The 1958, a group who have led the campaign
against the Glazers, gathered in numbers to protest outside Old Trafford ahead
of the game against Brentford.
Supporters blocked access to the ticket
office and held up banners demanding a full sale and accusing the Glazers of
'stealing' the club's history, dignity and integrity.
While the overwhelming majority of the
supporters are United behind demanding the Glazers leave the club, some harbour
concerns over Qatar's human rights record.
