Glazer wins Man U battle

US TYCOON Malcolm Glazer said yesterday he had raised his stake in Manchester United to over 75%, finally seizing full control of the soccer giants he has battled to acquire for more than two years.

Mr Glazer will cancel Manchester United's Stock Exchange listing next month but it may be a few weeks yet before the American makes an impact at Old Trafford.

Glazer splashed out another £7 million (E10m) yesterday to take his stake in the Red Devils to 75.70%, crashing through the crucial 75% barrier which allows him to take the club back into private hands.

Although the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner is still some way short of the 90% mark which would force a compulsory purchase of the remaining shares, he has effectively secured complete control two days before his offer document is due to be distributed.

The speed with which the 76-year-old tycoon has moved has staggered most observers. However, despite borrowing £540m (E785m) to complete the deal and pushing forward a business plan United chief executive David Gill has consistently described as "aggressive", it appears he is not in such a rush to start making changes.

While it has already been established that son Joel will take charge of the Glazer family interest in United, for now they are happy to allow Mr Gill to carry on his normal day-to-day duties. Yesterday that included confirmation that Ryan Giggs and Tim Howard have secured two-year extensions to their contracts.