'I don't see why not' - Paul Scholes backs David Beckham consortium to buy Manchester United and oust the Glazers and Sir Jim Ratcliffe
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes has backed ex-team-mate David Beckham to spearhead a takeover bid that would end the reign of the Glazer family and Sir Jim Ratcliffe at Old Trafford. Amid growing supporter frustration with the current hierarchy, the pundit believes the Inter Miami co-owner could help reset the club.
Club icon endorses ownership change
Scholes has welcomed the idea of fellow Class of '92 graduate Beckham fronting a consortium to take control of United following recent reports of fresh external interest in the Red Devils. While the Glazer family have held a majority stake since May 2005, British billionaire Ratcliffe has overseen football operations since purchasing a 27.7 per cent share in early 2024. Despite initial fan optimism over Ratcliffe's arrival, a series of costly errors over the past two years has alienated supporters.
Podcast discussion sparks takeover talk
During an appearance on The Good, The Bad and The Football podcast, co-host Paddy McGuinness raised the topic of the Major League Soccer franchise owner stepping in: "We had a comment on last week's show from Neil. He's saying a David Beckham-led consortium is the only way out of this total reset and rebuild. What do you think about it?"
Endorsing his former colleague, Scholes replied: "I don't see why not. If they've got the wealth to do it, he can he wants to do it, more importantly. Then, knowing David as we do, he'd probably just sit in the background anyway. If his name was involved. He won't be present at games like at Inter Miami, I suppose.
"These owners haven't worked, and I know Jim Ratcliffe's only been there for two and a half years, but it just hasn't worked so far, has it? We all know what the feeling around the club is about the Glazers, so I'd be open to anybody."
High valuation poses major obstacle
Fellow podcast co-host and former United midfielder Nicky Butt warned that Beckham, who spent over a decade at Old Trafford as a player, would encounter a major financial hurdle if he attempted to buy out the American owners.
Questioning the hierarchy's asking price, Butt said: "The biggest problem you've got is the Glazers will want a piece of the pie, and they're valuing it, correct me if I'm wrong, at about 8 billion now.
"I don't think right now it's worth 8 billion because they're not going to be in the Champions League next year, the means of commercial rights, so go down that means the players are not as valuable.
"All that permutation goes down, which makes the valuation a lot lower."
On-pitch struggles cloud immediate future
Concerns over missing out on elite European football next term stem from United's dismal domestic form under manager Michael Carrick, with the side languishing 17th in the Premier League table on just seven points from nine matches. However, the beleaguered squad did provide some relief on Tuesday night by staging a 3-2 comeback victory at home to Roma on Matchday 4 of the Champions League league phase. Carrick must now translate that European resilience into domestic results while boardroom speculation continues.
