Manchester United’s starting XI could have been transformed if Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani managed to buy the club.
On Saturday evening, it was reported that Sheikh Jassim and his Qatari consortium have pulled out of the race to buy the Old Trafford club.
British billionaire and INEOS boss Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now set to agree a deal to buy a 25 per cent stake at United.
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The Qatari banker reportedly did everything to try and buy United but ultimately failed to meet the Glazers’ asking price.
On the back of the latest development, United fans have been left wondering how the team would look if Sheikh Jassim took over.
Back in May, Spanish news outlet El Pais reported that Sheikh Jassim was planning one of the biggest transfer markets in the history of the sport.
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As many as 10 players were on the Qatari’s wanted list, including the likes of Frenkie De Jong, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Victor Osimhen, Dusan Vlahovic, Kingsley Coman and Ronald Araujo.
According to German news outlet BILD, Sheikh Jassim wanted to sign Kylian Mbappe and Eduardo Camavinga.
We have decided to draw up a potential lineup that Erik ten Hag could have selected if Sheikh Jassim was the owner.
Goalkeeper - Andre Onana
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Defence - Ronald Araujo, Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw
Midfield - Frenkie De Jong, Eduardo Camavinga, Bruno Fernandes
Attack - Kingsley Coman, Victor Osimhen, Kylian Mbappe
In his recent book ‘Grit, Rigour & Humour: The Ineos Story’, Ratcliffe explained the difficulties in doing a deal with the Glazers due to the differing opinions.
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He wrote: “They [Avram, Joel, Kevin, Bryan, Darcie and Edward, children of the late Malcolm Glazer] are all very nice, despite the press they get.
“But the club is owned equally by siblings and you can’t talk to that many siblings, really.”
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Featured Image Credit: Getty/FootyRenders/buildlineupTopics: Sheikh Jassim, Manchester United, Football