Incoming CEO Richard Arnold has been told that Manchester United face a monumental challenge to become one of the biggest revenue generators again after slipping behind Manchester City.
The Reds have stumbled through recent seasons and haven't added to their Premier League trophy cabinet since Sir Alex Ferguson' s farewell season, whilst Jose Mourinho was the last manager to bring success to Old Trafford winning the Europa League in 2017.
Pep Guardiola helping forge his side into contenders in Europe and the English top-flight has not only seen them become favourites for every tournament they're in but also blow them out of the water in terms of revenue.
"This is the biggest challenge for United," finance expert Dr Dan Plumley told Football Insider.
"City are out-doing them on the pitch and in commercial terms as well.
"If you look at it front and centre irrespective of what role he might have had in football operations, his biggest challenge is a commercial one.
"We can’t separate the sporting side out from that because he is in part reliant on sporting success on the pitch. Success on the pitch will drive up any commercial activities you’ve got going on, of course it will.
"But the club are no longer the biggest revenue generators in England, and the challenge is coming from just around the corner.
"So it’s no surprise to see that he wants to focus on the business side of things. He’s got a lot on his hands with that at the moment."
However, United have defended their commercial performance during the pandemic.
“We are proud of the strength and resilience which our club has shown through the pandemic, despite the significant loss of revenues from normal levels while matches were being played behind closed doors," a Manchester United spokesperson said.
"Our commercial business remains industry-leading, as demonstrated by the series of new globally-recognised third party partnerships and renewals announced over the past year.”
Arnold will take over on February 1 as Ed Woodward steps down as Executive Vice-Chairman.
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