We don’t need a Roman, says Gill

MANCHESTER UNITED are not seeking and do not need a billionaire backer like Roman Abramovich, chief executive David Gill said yesterday.

“We don’t need a sugar daddy,” Gill said at the Premier League champions’ annual meeting of shareholders.

“We have a well thought out strategic system in place and it is producing results.”

Russian billionaire Abramovich bought Chelsea in July and has spent over £110 million on players, as well as hiring Manchester United’s former chief executive Peter Kenyon.

“Our turnover is £173 million and we have £29 million cash currently in the bank,” said Gill.

“We also have a strategy in place to increase our revenue and the future is positive.

“The investment resources are now there for players because spending on assets such as the ground and training ground is now finished.”

Gill told the meeting that the club had tried to sign Damien Duff, who moved to Chelsea in the summer, and intended to sell goalkeeper Fabien Barthez at the end of the season.

“We were interested in Damien Duff and assessed the value of the player,” he said. “We knew his personal terms and were in discussions with his agent and discussed that with the manager.

“The assessment of the manager and the executives was that Damien wasn’t worth that money. We had sufficient cover and other possibilities to chase at the time.”

He defended Ferguson’s decision to buy Barthez for £7.8 million in June 2000.

“We have a manager who has proved over 16 years he has an eye for talented players,” he said.

“But we have discussed with Marseille putting Fabien on loan until the end of the season, at which point we would hope to conclude a transfer.”

Gill said United have so far failed in their attempts to arrange a meeting with Malcolm Glazier, who has bought 8.94% of the club, but intend to sit down with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner soon.

Rumours have swept the financial world that Glazier or Irish racehorse owners JP McManus and John Magnier, who, through their company Cubic Expression, control 23.15% of the club, are on the verge of mounting a takeover bid.

Gill said United’s summer transfer dealings, which saw the exit of England captain David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron, has left the club in a healthier position.

“We replaced David Beckham and Juan Sebastian Veron with five players and the addition of two players from the youth team. And we are not spending more money on wages now than we did before,” he said.