United look in good shape as Glazer fears unfounded, says Gill

MANCHESTER United chief executive David Gill insists the club is in “good shape” to meet the challenges of the new campaign.

Although the Glazer family has continued to attract opposition from more militant members of the fan base, little seems to have changed in the 12 months since United came under American ownership.

Funds have been provided for new players, specifically £18.6 million for the recent purchase of Michael Carrick from Tottenham.

And while the recent restructuring of debt taken on by Malcolm Glazer has seen the actual sum owed rise to a mind-boggling £660m, Gill remains convinced the Red Devils are a more efficient force in private ownership than they were as a Stock Market-quoted company.

“One year on, the scare stories have proved unfounded and the club is in good shape to face the various challenges both in the Premier League and Europe,” he said.

“There was a lot of comment about the takeover but the Glazer family have let us get on with running the club.

“People understand they are here for the long term. They are investing for the long term and we are looking to produce results, on and off the pitch, to justify that investment.”

A lucrative shirt sponsorship deal with American banking giant AIG, the expansion of Old Trafford to a capacity of 76,000 and a new, improved TV contract from 2007 will provide additional revenue which should not just help the Glazers pay off their loans but also provide Sir Alex Ferguson with some cash to try and halt the Chelsea steamroller.

Having seen the Stamford Bridge spending spree continue this summer with the captures of Michael Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko, plus the £12m United received themselves for Mikel John Obi, the Red Devils know preventing the Blues landing a hat-trick of titles will be no easy task.

But, rather than write the season off, as so many pundits have done, Gill is convinced United can mount a realistic challenge to Chelsea’s dominance.

“Chelsea do what they do and what they can afford,” Gill told BBC Radio Manchester.

“We have to do what Manchester United does best.

“Increasing the capacity of the stadium produces a lot of revenue for us. We will also continue to bring young players through the academy and we will compete in the transfer market as we see fit.

“If you look at the players in our squad, the likes of Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes, we have a lot of players many teams would envy.

“We are not saying we cannot compete because we feel we can.

“We have the team to compete, the squad to compete and we are looking forward to the new season."