Fans blast United’s interest bill

MANCHESTER UNITED’s anti-Glazer faction have claimed the controversial owners have landed the club with a £260million (€288m) interest bill since they took control in 2005.

The staggering sum includes the £41.9m (€46.45m) paid out in interest in the year to June 2009, which contributed to turning what would have been a huge profit of £91.3m (€101.2m) into a ‘mere’ £48.2m (€53.4m) – a sum bolstered by the world-record £80m (€88.6m) transfer fee received from Real Madrid for Cristiano Ronaldo.

It means that while as a pure day-to-day business, United are more streamlined and profitable than any club in the world, their financial model is dragged down by the huge costs incurred when the Glazers completed their £790m (€875m) buyout.