Former Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has been contacted by multiple groups interested in buying the Red Devils with a view to act as a consultant for their potential takeover bids.
Having stood down from his role within the Old Trafford hierarchy in February of this year, Woodward is certainly available. The ex-JP Morgan banker was actually originally retained in an advisory role at the club, but no longer boasts any kind of contract tying him to the club - who could be up for sale soon.
With 17 years of service at United under his belt, Woodward would be able to offer an invaluable insight to potential buyers - especially given he maintains a stellar working relationship with current owners the Glazer family to date.
However, involvement from Woodward in any capacity could spark huge backlash from the Old Trafford faithful given his popularity drastically declined in the eyes of United's supporters towards the end of his time at the club.
He was often the brunt of fan frustation who would issues with the entire ownership structure, especially the Glazers. So much so, that Woodward's house was actually attacked by angry protesters who threw smoke bombs at his family home in Cheshire.
The 51-year-old's career originally started exclusively in finance, but he joined United to serve as an adviser to the Glazers when their purchase of the club was green-lit in 2005.
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His success on the Red Devils commerical department earned him a place on the board before he eventully was tasked with daily running of the club following the departure of David Gill in 2013.
Poor recruitment in the transfer market was also something that Woodward took plenty of critcism for, as United forked out £1.22billion on new on-pitch talent in just under a decade but only recouped £363million in sales within the same time frame.
The botched attempt to form a breakaway European Super League in April 2021 proved to be the nail in the coffin and Woodward's standings in the eyes of the United fanbase suffered damage that was beyond repair. He announced his resignation soon after the scandal.
Despite the Super League debacle, Woodward still has a decent reputation in the eyes of both the football and financial world - hence the attempts to reach out to him by parties keen on buying the keys to Old Trafford, as per the Daily Mail.
Speculation is already rife as to who will succeed the Glazers as owners, with tech giants Apple the latest name to be thrown into the ring with a rumoured £5.8bn bid.
Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, founder of clothing chain Zara, has also been linked with a bid for United and is keen on starting a dialogue with the Glazers soon.
