Irish Examiner view: Extra time at United

The last time United were in play anywhere else other than on the pitch the club ended up saddled with nearly €600m of debt.

No one thought the potential takeover of Manchester United — likely to be the biggest deal in the history of sport — would be an easy transaction and, for now, there is some doubt that there will be a deal at all.

With Wednesday’s deadline for second bids come and gone, and yesterday’s 4pm extension passing the same way, there are only two publicly confirmed bidders for a controlling stake: Ineos owner, Jim Ratcliffe, and the Qatari consortium of Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Than. 

Neither of these look particularly keen to compete with each other towards the higher-end of the €6-7bn valuation that the Glazer family are keen to achieve. 

Meanwhile, there are nudges and winks that as many as eight bidders are interested in the club, although that may well be part of the mood music and conditioning to get the price moving north.

The last time United were in play anywhere else other than on the pitch the club ended up saddled with nearly €600m of debt. Supporters will be desperate to avoid a similar result this time around.