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Former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards, now an honorary life president at Old Trafford, has become the first voice at boardroom level to question the way the Glazer family run the club.
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Martin Edwards: Words of warning
Since the American owners took control of United in 2005 the previously profitable Premier League club has accrued debts of around £700m and Edwards fears that financial turmoil could be ahead.
"It concerns me that the club are in so much debt," Edwards said. "The club are not in control; that family are in control of the debt. I can understand where the fans are coming from with their concerns. The crunch time will come when they [the Glazers] exit. Will they saddle the club with the debt or just sell the club on for a profit because that's all they are interested in? How will they leave the club?
"I'm not going to make any accusations because up to now they have behaved fairly well, supporting the manager, and they haven't disrupted the running of the club or the personnel. Time will tell."
Edwards, the man who hired Sir Alex Ferguson and spent 22 years as United chairman between 1980 to 2002, endured strong criticisms of his own chairmanship, most notably when he recommended to the club's shareholders that they accepted a £623m takeover bid from BSkyB.
"I thought Sky would have taken Manchester United to a level where nobody could have got near us," he explained. "That's why I recommended their offer in 1998. When they approached us, we had gone 30 years without winning the European Cup. I felt that they could have pushed us on to the next level."
GettyImagesMartin Edwards: Words of warning
Since the American owners took control of United in 2005 the previously profitable Premier League club has accrued debts of around £700m and Edwards fears that financial turmoil could be ahead.
"It concerns me that the club are in so much debt," Edwards said. "The club are not in control; that family are in control of the debt. I can understand where the fans are coming from with their concerns. The crunch time will come when they [the Glazers] exit. Will they saddle the club with the debt or just sell the club on for a profit because that's all they are interested in? How will they leave the club?
"I'm not going to make any accusations because up to now they have behaved fairly well, supporting the manager, and they haven't disrupted the running of the club or the personnel. Time will tell."
Edwards, the man who hired Sir Alex Ferguson and spent 22 years as United chairman between 1980 to 2002, endured strong criticisms of his own chairmanship, most notably when he recommended to the club's shareholders that they accepted a £623m takeover bid from BSkyB.
"I thought Sky would have taken Manchester United to a level where nobody could have got near us," he explained. "That's why I recommended their offer in 1998. When they approached us, we had gone 30 years without winning the European Cup. I felt that they could have pushed us on to the next level."
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