Solskjaer speaks to protesters after they enter Manchester United training ground
The Manchester United manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, spoke to a group of fans who took their protests against the Glazers to the club’s training ground on Thursday.
A group of around 20 fans gained access to United’s Carrington training base. A security guard confirmed the fans were at the facility for around 90 minutes and that police were called “pretty quickly” to disperse the group, who are understood to have left at around 10.30am.
The protest appeared to be over by 11am with things returning to normal at the state-of-the-art complex, where United players have trained since 2000, with only two security guards patrolling the main entrance to the site.
United said in a statement: “At approximately 9am this morning a group gained access to the club training ground. The manager and others spoke to them. Buildings were secure and the pitch with a banner reading “Glazers Out” and another saying “51% MUFC 20” in reference to the model of ownership used widely in Germany. In another image, protesters are shown holding a banner reading “we decide when you play” outside the entrance to the main building.
The Old Trafford club have been under the Glazer family’s ownership since they completed their controversial takeover in 2005. Their reputation sank to a new low in recent days after the attempt to launch the European Super League.
The United co-chairman, Joel Glazer, was named vice-chairman of the breakaway competition before it swiftly and spectacularly unravelled. United announced the executive vice-chairman, Ed Woodward, would leave by the end of the year and in an open letter to fans Glazer admitted “we got it wrong”.
Solskjaer is due to speak publicly on the Super League for the first time at his next press conference on Friday.