Barcelona coach Xavi believes a Qatari takeover would be good for Manchester United.
Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani declared his intention to buy United from the Glazers after submitting an initial bid in the region of £4billion. Following his Barcelona exit in 2015, Xavi played in Qatar for Al Sadd for four seasons then coached the club for two years before returning to Camp Nou as head coach in November 2021.
Xavi said he knows Sheikh Jassim well from his six years in Qatar and is convinced the prospective new owner of United would be a positive influence for the club. INEOS founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is Sheikh Jassim's biggest rival in the takeover battle.
"I have a good relationship with the person interested in buying the club, he’s a serious person and I’m sure he’d do a good job," Xavi said of the Qatari banker. "I know him so well. I think he’s a very good person with responsibility, serious. I think it would be a very good option for United."
Sheikh Jassim has promised to "return the club to its former glories" - acknowledging their 10-year wait for a Premier League title - and wipe off the debts accrued by the Glazers. He wants to buy 100 per cent of the Old Trafford club.
Sheikh Jassim has also pledged to invest in Erik ten Hag's squad and United's other teams. He wants to renovate the club's Carrington training ground and Old Trafford, with the latter in dire need of redevelopment after several years of neglect. Furthermore, "the fan experience and communities the club supports" is at the heart of the bid.
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Xavi believes United are the toughest opponents left in the Europa League and said Thursday night's encounter is the chance for Barca to show they are back after exiting the Champions League at the group stage.
"United are one of the best teams in Europe at the moment, showing their quality and competitiveness through great results," said Xavi. "They’re the best United I've seen in the last few years, they have a great coach and great players who show a lot of personality and passion, so we need to match this.
"United are up there near the top of the Premier League, competing with Arsenal and Manchester City. It’s the perfect stage for us to show we can compete with these teams."
Meanwhile, United boss Ten Hag claimed Barca defender Jules Kounde should have been sent off for a challenge on Marcus Rashford in the first leg, when the forward was through on goal.
Kounde admitted he could have been shown a red card and said: "I think it was 50-50. There was contact, but I think it was very light. The referee decided to not give me a red card, so I don't feel lucky. It's the decision of the referee.
"It's true that I think I could have been sent off, because it was 50-50, but the referee made the decision and obviously I'm very happy."
