Ferguson tries to remain neutral on United’s future

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has tried to maintain a discreet distance between himself and the club's financial affairs, but after newspaper reports suggesting that he was backing a takeover bid from the Red Knights consortium the manager has been forced to issue a denial.

Ferguson described a report in the Observer claiming he had given the Knights his support and had offered to invest money in a takeover as "absolute rubbish".

The club also claims that Ferguson has "100 per cent trust" in the Glazer family, which owns United. The statement comes after David Gill said that the manager was "comfortable" with the way the club was being run.

So far Ferguson has managed to maintain his neutrality, but as the hostilities escalate both sides are anxious to claim the club's iconic manager as their own.

The Red Knights consortium is trying to launch a takeover bid to buy the club from the American Glazer family, who have infuriated fans by saddling the club with £700m of debts.

So far more than 120,000 people have signed up to an anti-Glazer campaign being run by the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust (MUST) which supports the Knights' attempts at a takeover.

Supporters have taken to wearing yellow and green - United's original colours - as a mark of protest against the owners. Opponents of the Glazers had even tried to organise a campaign to get Ferguson to resign as manager, however the latest comments suggest that the United boss does not feel as strongly about the issue as they do.

However, Ferguson does know some members of the consortium and he said last week: "If they want to try to buy the club, it's entirely up to them." ·