Joel and Avram Glazer were pictured in London on Friday ahead of Manchester United’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Coventry City and apparently bumped into their “old friend” Derek Chisora while walking.
Erik ten Hag’s side have endured a tumultuous campaign but can still progress to the FA Cup final with victory at Wembley on Sunday afternoon against their Championship opponents.
Off the football pitch, there have been many changes behind the scenes at Old Trafford in the last 12 months, with the club’s owners, the Glazer family, reaching a deal with Sir Jim Ratcliff that saw The petrochemical magnate buys a minority stake in the club, valued at £1.3bn.
United’s much-maligned owners are barely seen in the public sphere, but on Friday they were seen walking the streets of London and photographed chatting with Chisora on the side of the road.
The American brothers, originally from New York, stopped to chat with the professional boxer, Avram posed for a selfie with the United fan and seemed in good spirits ahead of Sunday’s match.
Chisora later posted a photo of him and Avram on his Instagram.
Joel and Avram Glazer arrived in London ahead of Man United’s FA Cup clash against Coventry.
During their walk they met Derek Chisora who spoke with the two owners for several moments.
Chisora even took a selfie with Avram, posting the image on Instagram and captioning the photo “good to see you, old friend.”
The pair were seen smiling, as the British wrestler captioned the image: “What a day catching up with my old friend.”
He reposted the image to his story and added a caption that read: “Good to see you old friend.”
Chisora is well known for being a Man United fan and in 2022 he gave his verdict on how Erik ten Hag could motivate his team’s struggling players when he was first appointed as United manager.
“I would slap them.” he said to talkSPORT. ‘I would tell them to wake up. They are a shame. They no longer play for the badge.
“Even the whole Premier League is a disgrace at the moment, none of them are playing for the badge anymore.
“Back then, a derby was a derby. You would know that if Man United played Man City it would be a big derby, and if Arsenal played Tottenham it would be a big derby.
“I think we have too many foreigners in the league, so the derby is already over.”
With Ratcliffe taking over the club’s football operations, further changes are likely to come at Old Trafford over the summer.
Meanwhile, the Glazers have been criticized in the past for their leadership over the Red Devils.
United’s net football debt (defined by UEFA as loans and transfer fees minus cash reserves) has reportedly risen from £12m at the time of the American’s leveraged buyout in 2005 to a record £862m.
The Glazers reach an agreement with Sir Jim Ratcliffe to buy a minority stake in Man United
The results show why the Glazers are reluctant to abandon the club’s commercial operation (pictured, United owners Avram (left) and Joel Glazer (right))
Fans have criticized the American owners in the past, with some claiming they have “been ruining the club”, after the Glazers collected £33.6m in dividends from the club in 2022, after posting a £115 loss .5 million.
In more recent times, United fans have staged fresh protests against the Glazers after it was revealed that they would retain part ownership of Man United, despite putting the club up for sale. Fans called for a “sell-out” with the group The 1958, a fan-led organisation, protesting outside Old Trafford.
On the pitch, concerns are mounting over Ten Hag’s future at the club, with United’s hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season hanging by a thin thread.
The club were knocked out of the European tournament last season and dropped to seventh place in the Premier League, having won just one of their previous five league games.
Despite that, United’s dramatic 4-3 victory against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals has kept Ten Hag’s hopes of claiming silverware this season alive.
Earlier this week, he also sent a clear message that he would remain as manager of the club, urging United to install an executive team that can meet his requirements, implying that he hopes to remain as United manager next season.
United’s unpopular American owners have siphoned more than £1 billion from the club since their leveraged buyout in 2005 and fans have regularly protested against them.
Ratcliffe took charge of football operations after assuming co-ownership with the Glazers
In the midst of a torrid season, United are hoping to book their place in the FA Cup final on Sunday.
“The plan is ready but we have to execute it,” he said. ‘I am confident that the new owners will work as quickly as possible and bring in good new structures that they can execute.
‘Of course, I miss his (Murtough’s) support. He has moved on and we work very well together. I think it is very important that the new ownership is working on this, to replace its function, to start a new season.
‘As I said previously, I work very closely with the new owners. That doesn’t change the way I work here: perfect, still perfect. “I’m happy with that, but we want to set the right conditions to be successful.”