Thomas Zilliacus is no longer a candidate to take over Manchester United. The Finnish businessman withdraws because of the state of affairs surrounding the takeover.
Zilliacus withdraws from Man Utd takeover battle: “Don’t participate in this farce”
After Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, Zilliacus came forward as a prospective buyer at the end of March. The Finnish businessman wanted to buy Manchester United together with the fans, also to make a statement against the many sheikhs and oligarchs in top international football.
Zilliacus has now put an end to those plans. The Glazers’ third round of bidding has made him decide to withdraw. “Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim and I were all willing to negotiate a purchase agreement. Instead, the Glazers have chosen to start a new round. I will not participate in this farce, which is set up to maximize the sellers’ profit at the expense of Manchester United,” the Finn said on Twitter.
Fred revived under Ten Hag: “He helped us all”
Fred has not always had it easy at Manchester United, but has regularly been important this season under Erik ten Hag. He mentioned, “He has a huge impact on the dressing room.”
“Before he came, we already knew how good he was because of his time at Ajax and his way of playing,” Fred told UEFA TV. “Of course it takes time to adjust to a new manager, but he helped us all on the pitch and gave us ideas on how to work. He’s a great manager and we’re very happy to have him here.”
“Every manager has his way of working and his own requirements,” said the Brazilian, who was still accurate at Old Trafford (2-1) in the knockout round against Barcelona. “It’s up to us to adapt to his style. It is not easy; it doesn’t happen overnight. But gradually we began to understand what he wanted us to follow. Little by little we adapted and put into practice on the field the things he asked of us, and that led to improvements in the team.”
By eliminating Sevilla, Fred ultimately wants to win the Europa League. “We know everything about Sevilla. They are a great team, another Spanish team. They will be difficult to play against, but we are ready. The Europa League is a tough competition and everyone in our team is really keen to win it. We are all pulling in the same direction, with the same goal in mind: to reach the final and win. I think we are capable of that,” the midfielder concludes.
