Manchester United committed to helping Ole Gunnar Solskjaer win trophies and will remain highly competitive in transfer market, says Ed Woodward
Ed Woodward says Manchester United remain committed to backing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and is expecting the club to continue being ‘highly competitive’ in the transfer market.
The Red Devils have not won the Premier League since Sir Alex Ferguson left in 2013 but their executive vice-chairman is convinced they are on the right track for major success under Solskjaer.
Ed Woodward admitted it will not be business as normal in the transfer window
With the coronavirus pandemic leaving clubs facing an uncertain future, Woodward concedes that United will not be immune from the financial impact of football being shutdown.
However, he says United remain in a very strong position financially and intend to continue to fully backing Solskjaer.
Woodward told a fans’ forum: “It’s always a top priority for us to strengthen the team and build on what Ole is very clearly achieving in terms of bringing us back to the top. But we’ve got to have clarity on what the future holds.
“What will happen with the remainder of this season? What is the impact on next season? Is it behind closed doors or in front of fans? What’s the impact on broadcast deals, sponsorship deals? What’s the impact on domestic cups? Etc, etc.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been backed to win trophies at Man United
“There are many, many moving parts. It is not necessarily going to be business-as-usual for clubs this summer.
“It feels somewhat inappropriate to see speculation about transfers for hundreds of millions in current circumstances.
“There’s a big disconnect between those stories and the economic realities facing football clubs in general.
“Clearly it’s true we are fortunate to be in a strong financial position compared to many clubs, but we are not immune from the financial impact of what this virus is doing.
“I would say that once we have the visibility of a path through the crisis and coming out of the other side to relative normality, then of course we aim to remain highly competitive in the market.
“As I said before and I’ve said this many times – we remain committed to backing Ole to win trophies. That’s our core objective as a club.”
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It has been widely reported that the Premier League could be given the green light to resume on June 8.
Woodward said that although they want fans back in the stadiums as soon as possible, it will be down to the government on when that could happen.
He added: “I think we all agree that we want supporters back watching football at Old Trafford as soon as possible.
“That can only happen when we are advised it is safe to do so, and clearly the government has a major say in that.
“No decisions have been made yet, but we think it is possible that initial games, particularly the ones related to finishing or trying to complete the season, will probably have to be played behind closed doors – but that isn’t confirmed yet.
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“We’re not necessarily happy about that, clearly football requires fans in the stadium for it to be complete but public health must come first – and as I said, this is down to the government.
“It’s important to get back to playing football and complete this season once it’s safe to do so. We are starting to see some other countries make positive steps in this direction such as Germany.
“You may have seen in the press (last week) they are training players, albeit not yet together properly as a squad, but that’s coming as the next stage of the protocol and they are aiming to restart their season from, I think, the second weekend in May.
“From a UK perspective there is still huge uncertainty, so we will keep fans informed as soon as decisions are made, including consultation through this forum.”
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