"He heads to Dubai to discuss cricket" - Gary Neville slams Manchester United owner Avram Glazer 

Neville has criticized Manchester United's Avram Glazer
Neville has criticized Manchester United's Avram Glazer

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has blasted his club's owner Avram Glazer following the American's meeting with Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed.

Neville had seen his side falter in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, bowing out at the hands of La Liga giants Atletico Madrid. He was in no mood to entertain pictures of Glazer discussing cricket with the chairman of the Dubai Sports Council just three days after United's latest setback.

Neville hit out at the picture posted on Twitter by Sheikh Mansoor and tweeted:

"He must have stopped off on his way to Manchester for those fans meetings they promised post ESL (European Super League)!"

He continued:

"United go out of the Champions League and he heads to Dubai to discuss cricket."

The much-maligned owners of Manchester United have overseen a troublesome time in charge of the thirteen-time Premier League champions. The Glazers had caused an uproar last season when they announced they would join the European Super League.

Neville was scathing in his analysis of the Glazers' push for ESL last year. He told Sky Sports following the announcement of the project (via Manchester Evening News):

"I’ve stayed quiet on the basis that it’s still Man United, I can still watch the lads play, I can be happy and I can be sad, I’m still watching football in this country. If they take dividends out, alright, it’s dividends, I can live with it slightly."

He added,

"What I can’t live with is attacking every single football fan in this country, they have stepped over the mark. They are scavengers and they need booting out of this football club and booting out of this country."

Glazers' tumultuous relationship with Manchester United fans

The much-maligned American owners purchased Manchester United in 2005. They faced a huge backlash from fans after loading £500 million of their own borrowings on the club to repay.

That set the stage for what would be a tumultuous relationship between the Glazers and the United faithful. In 2010, United fans’ anti-Green and Yellow Glazer campaigns began with the club falling into more debt.

It was later reported by the Guardian that the Glazers had drained out more than £1 billion in interests, costs, fees, and dividends since 2005. Still, the Glazers remained in charge and the protests against the family continued but many United fans realized that they were at Old Trafford to stay.

The Glazers, alongside chairman Ed Woodward, then attempted to take United into the money-grabbing European Super League last year. The club ultimately pulled out of the competition following fan protests.

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Edited by Ritwik Kumar