Gary Neville would "find it difficult" to oppose a Qatari-led takeover of Manchester United because the Premier League already has two state-funded clubs.
Manchester City and Newcastle have been subject to controversial takeovers from Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia respectively in the Premier League.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, the chairman of one of Qatar’s biggest banks, confirmed on Friday evening that he'd submitted a United takeover bid, which would be 'debt free' and prioritise 'returning the club to its former glories'. However, it remains unclear whether the bid is being backed by the state.
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Neville, who worked as a pundit in Qatar during the World Cup, was asked for his stance on a potential Qatri-led takeover of United on his podcast with Sky Sports and he admitted he thought "the horse has already bolted" with state-funded clubs.
"There is some concern, [but] they want a debt-free club. They've become harmed mentally by debt, Man United fans, over these last few years," Neville said. "There's a feeling they want an ownership that can compete with the Middle East estates we have in this league.
"Which is Saudi Arabia at Newcastle and Abu Dhabi at Man City. From my point of view, there's a white paper coming out later this week from the government. I know that might seem like really boring stuff around legislation through parliament of Tracey Crouch's report and the independent regulator but I honestly believe, at this moment in time, the EFL are powerless, the FA are powerless.
"The Premier League is stuck in a lot of their governance because they've got 20 different owners with 20 different mindsets and vested interests and self-interests and we do need, most importantly, whether it be for Man United, Man City or the whole league, we need to know what is expected of owners in this country.
"Keep a cap and control on the clubs like Man United, Man City and Newcastle, who may have nation-state involvement, but allow other clubs to come up to their level of spending if they've got a wealthy owner that wants to come in, ie: Jack Walker at Blackburn all those years ago.
"We can talk about state ownership at Man United but we have already got two state-funded clubs in Newcastle and Man City. They've been allowed to come in already, so I find it difficult to say Man United shouldn't, on the other hand, have a Qatari ownership.
"The horse has bolted in that respect, when Abu Dhabi came into Man City 15 years ago and Saudi Arabia came into Newcastle two years ago."
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