MX23RW : Saturday, September 28 04:55:10| >> :120:26299:26299:

Ed Woodward vows to be 'patient' with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Ed Woodward vows to be 'patient' with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
© Reuters
United's executive vice-chairman has set out a long-term vision for the club.

Ed Woodward has pledged his faith in Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer as the Norwegian bids to get the club "back to the top of English football".

United announced record financial revenues of £627.1million for the year ending June 30, 2019, up 6.3 per cent from 12 months ago, with the new Champions League broadcasting deal swelling the figure.

However, their sixth-place Premier League finish last season saw them fail to qualify for Europe's elite club competition, meaning turnover in 2020 is expected to drop to between £560m and £580m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led Manchester United to a sixth-place finish last term (Martin Rickett/PA)
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led Manchester United to a sixth-place finish last term (Martin Rickett/PA)

The Red Devils are already 10 points adrift of Liverpool after only six top-flight matches this term, but Woodward set out a long-term vision as he promised to stand by Solskjaer.

United's executive vice-chairman said on the club's quarterly investors' call: "We and our growing global fan-base demand success. Success means winning trophies. That target and that standard has never changed for Manchester United.

"The progress we've made on the business side underpins the continued investment in the football side.

"Much of the progress made around that investment in the academy, the recruitment department and the training ground facilities is behind the scenes and therefore isn't immediately apparent to those on the outside looking in.

"These investments, together with the commitment we've made to Ole and his coaching staff in March have given us the building blocks for success.

"Whilst we're confident this investment will deliver results, it's important that we are patient while Ole and his team build for the future.

"We will continue to focus on the long-term strategy and won't be influenced by short-term distractions. We're optimistic for the future."

Despite a significant outlay on the likes of defenders Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka and winger Daniel James over the summer, United's inability to replace striker Romelu Lukaku has been scrutinised.

The three additions and a number of first-team players signing new contracts means United's wage bill reached an eye-watering £332.3m, an increase of £36.3m on the previous year and accounting for 53 per cent of their turnover.

While they are yet to appoint a director of football, Woodward said: "Regarding the speculation around the head of football, we're continually reviewing and looking at the potential to evolve our structure on the football side.

"Much of the speculation on this type of role focuses purely on recruitment, an area we've evolved in recent years.

"We feel that the players we've signed this summer demonstrate that this approach is the right one.

"Returning to the roots of our club's ethos of youth-led, attacking football is the right way forward and everyone at the club: the board, the manager, the squad and all of the staff remain resolute in our desire to get Manchester United back to the top of English football.

"We'll continue to make the necessary investments to make this happen across our first-team players, our academy and our recruitment department. This long-term approach to building a squad is the right one."

United's accounts showed that operating profit is up to £50m, while the net debt has come down to £203.6m.

ID:372659: cacheID:372659:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7248:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Paul Pogba pictured during Manchester United's Premier League clash with Chelsea on August 11, 2019
Read Next:
Paul Pogba to feature against Rochdale
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Manchester CityMan City5410135813
2Liverpool5401101912
3Aston Villa5401107312
4Arsenal532083511
5Chelsea5311115610
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle531176110
7Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton52308449
8Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest52306429
9Fulham52217528
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs52129547
11Manchester UnitedMan Utd52125507
12Brentford520379-26
13Bournemouth512258-35
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham511359-44
15Leicester CityLeicester503268-23
16Crystal Palace503247-33
17Ipswich TownIpswich503238-53
18Southampton501429-71
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves5014514-91
20Everton5014514-91


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!