The businessman who tried and failed to buy Manchester United in the 1980s is back – but is he for real this time?
To a certain vintage of Manchester United fans, Michael Knighton will always be that bloke who did keepy-ups at Old Trafford and celebrated in front of the Stretford End after blasting the ball into an empty net. A curious part of the club’s history, long-consigned to the recesses of the mind until he declared his latest intention to launch a buy-out last week.
You see, Knighton has history. The reason he had his five minutes of fame out on the pitch on a late summer’s day in 1989 was because he was set to buy United for the meagre sum of £10 million ($12m).
To cut a long story short – it didn’t happen. So, it is little wonder his latest intentions are being greeted with such scepticism, what with the club now likely to cost in excess of £5 billion ($6bn) by conservative estimates…
GettyA 'head-case' or a Trump-like victory?
Bryan Robson was in no doubt about the man who would’ve been king, describing him as a “head-case” in his autobiography.
“We could see that he was just on a massive ego trip," the former United captain wrote. "Eventually, after a lot of to-ing and fro-ing and excuses, the deal fell through, thank goodness. We were lucky.”
Now Knighton, who is said to be worth £5.8m ($7m), is reaching out to a new generation of fans via his erratic social media offerings and his mysterious consortium he insists will finally oust hated owners, the Glazer family.
Timelines have been bombarded with his Tweets, random words all capped up, “trolls” and “stupid nasties” are called out, while God’s blessings are sent to “you ALL.”
There is a very Trumpian element to his approach and, in this day and age, if feels impossible to rule anything out – even Knighton's promise that the Glazers “will be GONE by the end of this season.”
AdvertisementWhat is the MK Consortium?
The problem is, the 70-year-old is very light on details when it comes to precisely how he and his MK Consortium plan to complete what would be the most expensive buy-out in sporting history and dwarf Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s recent takeover at Chelsea for £4.25bn ($5.1bn).
“I’ve got some good pledgers with good finance,” Knighton told . “We are now working on the offer document. It is a hostile bid.
“My intention is to present these owners with a legitimate and potent and proper commercial offer to say, ‘You’ve run out of ground. It’s time to go because your time is up and frankly the fans worldwide have had enough of this situation.’”
Getty ImagesCould Ratcliffe finally make a bid?
It’s notable that Knighton himself describes one of Britain’s wealthiest men, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, as the ultimate saviour.
The owner of INEOS, who is a United fan, has long-been linked with a move for his boyhood club. He launched a last-minute bid to buy Chelsea earlier this year, to put Premier League clubs on notice of his interest in stepping into the market.
“We’re still waiting for the great Sir Jim Ratcliffe to come forward because he solves all our problems and makes my job redundant,” added Knighton.
“But until Jim comes, my consortium will be placing their bid very shortly. That I guarantee.”
GettyWinning supporters over
Fans will need to be convinced by Knighton’s guarantees.
Younger supporters will welcome just about any opposition to the Glazers, who have remained resolute in their refusal to sell, despite widespread unrest.
Following their involvement in the failed European Super League, there have been steps towards engaging with the fanbase. A fan advisory board has been set up and a share scheme is advancing.
But the disastrous start to the season – losing back-to-back games to leave United at the foot of the table for the first time in 30 years, as well as the failures in the transfer window – have led to renewed calls for the Glazers to go.