Manchester United chief executive David Gill launches fierce attack on Red Knights

By Paul Kelso Chief Sports Reporter Published: 6:54PM GMT 03 March 2010

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Speaking twenty-four hours after the Red Knights reliable their goal to try and buy the bar from the Glazer family, Gill insisted that Manchester United was not for sale, and offering a fixed counterclaim of the American owners.

Gill concurred that the family might be forced to damp flourishing believer rancour by receiving a higher profile, but pronounced the Knights, led by Goldman Sachss arch economist and former United house part of Jim ONeil, were wasting their time.

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"They [the Glazers] are long-term owners and theyre not sellers," he said.

"Thats not to contend that people similar to the Red Knights wouldnt come and think that they can put a plan to them. But unless the owners instruct to sell, that theyve since no denote to me at all that that is the case, afterwards they cant buy the asset. Its not for sale."

Gill pronounced that he has not listened without delay from ONeil, who is a crony as well as a former colleague, or associate Knight Mark Robinson, a partner at City law organisation Freshfields who suggested the bar house when it was facing the Glazers in 2004.

He did not criticize them directly, but was curse about Harris, the senior manager authority of senior manager bank Seymour Pearce who has been concerned in multiform high-profile Premier League takeovers together with Roman Abramovichs squeeze of Chelsea.

"Keith Harris will go anywhere that theres a bit of broadside around and we know that and we accept that," Gill said. "Thats his modus operandi, but his lane jot down in football isnt anything to write home about. Thats my perspective of that, but these are convincing people and they do what they think is in the most appropriate interests of the bar but the not going to take them anywhere if the owners, the Glazers, have no instruct to sell. From the perspective, they are using the bar in the right way."

Gill pronounced that the clubs monetary incident following the �507 million down payment issue was "entirely appropriate", with annual seductiveness payments of around �45 million lonesome by the clubs flourishing revenues.

By contrariety he questioned how the Red Knights due to run the bar since their offer to lift supports from up to 40 rich individuals.

"The Red Knights thought of carrying 20, thirty or 40 really rich people owning and using Manchester United, I only dont know how it would work in practice," Gill said.

"The most appropriate clubs, the improved run clubs have transparent single-decision creation that iws discerning and efficient. I dont see how if youve got a series of really rich people being concerned [that can happen].

"They dont turn rich by luck, those sort of people instruct to be concerned in the preference making, The key clubs, Abramovich at Chelsea, Mansour at Man City, Berlusconi in Milan, even the president, the key preference builder at Madrid is not all those fans, the the president.

"Im not certain what the finish diversion is but the finish diversion is not pertinent since the owners are long-term investors and instruct to keep the bar for most years to come."

The Red Knights are anticipating to strap believer disturbance at the clubs debts of �709 million, and Gill concurred that the Glazers might have to take a some-more perceivable purpose to damp fans who incited Wembley green-and-yellow at Sundays Carling Cup final.

"What they [the Glazers] finished is let me and my organisation run the business, theyve let Alex run the football side, and if you see at the monetary formula and the on-field performance, I think thats irreproachable that approach. If, in the future, in sequence to damp people or to insist the long-term inlet of their investment, that [a higher profile] might be necessary."

Gills attack came as the Red Knights were assessing the stroke of their open stipulation of intent. A orator for the organisation pronounced that they had perceived "an general response" from intensity investors, and the Manchester United Supporters Trust reported that the membership had doubled overnight to 78,000, incomparable than the genius at Old Trafford.