• Much at Manchester United to attract top players, says Gill
• Sir Alex Ferguson 'tireless' in contributing to success of club
David Gill is convinced Manchester United can overthrow the new Premier League champions, despite the vast means Manchester City have employed. Gill, the chief executive since 2003, has been with the club for 15 years. He argues that United have previously answered the challenge of opponents comparable to City.
"Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea, he came in 2003 and they won the title in 2005 and 2006," Gill recalled. "Everyone was saying: 'This is it, Abramovich and Chelsea are going to be there for 10 years.' It doesn't happen like that. We have got to concentrate. Chelsea, I am sure, are going to be better in the league next year. Tottenham had a good year, Arsenal … That's the great thing about the Premier League, there are many teams."
United's circumstances are, however, controversial since the takeover by the Glazers led to some £500m leaving the club. Gill denies that United, following a trophyless season, labour under a handicap. "Whilst other clubs may pay slightly more, we pay what we believe are very, very good salaries," he said. "The commercial spin-offs, if [players] want to go down that route, are arguably better than at other clubs.
"We shouldn't be shy or embarrassed or worried about not being able to attract top players. I firmly believe that we can, with Sir Alex Ferguson and what we offer as a club. Many people want to come and play for us. We've got experienced players in Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, we've got Rio [Ferdinand].
"These are players who have won many trophies. There is Wayne [Rooney] obviously. We can blend that with the youngsters and hopefully that will stand us in good stead. If a player is saying: 'I am relaxed, I can either go to Manchester City or Manchester United or Chelsea,' and it just comes down to a money thing they may outmuscle us. We'd say: 'That's fine.' We have our parameters in which we work. We look at the whole squad and the salary ranges within it, make sure they're appropriate, make sure people can look each other in the eye.
"Our turnover and our cash profits demonstrate that we can invest in players. We showed that last year when we bought three players: Phil Jones, Ashley Young and David de Gea. Those are the sort of players we like to buy – players who are still developing."
Even so, the most expensive figures in the starting XI at Sunderland last weekend were Ferdinand and Rooney, men bought as long ago as 2002 and 2004 respectively. The Glazers can only be overjoyed that the expertise at Old Trafford remains. Sir Alex Ferguson was inevitably named manager of the Premier League's 20 years.
Gill describes a tireless Ferguson arriving each day at breakfast time. "You don't stay at the top of the tree in one of the most competitive leagues in the world without having that enthusiasm, that knowledge and ability. We still had 89 points. The title has not been decided on goal difference before. We cannot be unhappy with what we've done. It's a fine line."
Any disquiet is likely to lie with mediocre efforts in Champions League and Europa League. "We underperformed in Europe," Gill said. "Not getting through the group stages of the Champions League was very disappointing. We can't ignore that but the important thing is that throughout the season we were looking at the development of the squad and the players coming through from the youth team.
"We've had another good year. The reserves won the national championship. It's not a revolution. We're not sitting here saying: 'Christ, what are we going to do?' It's an ongoing process." Gill is aware of the financial fair play initiative by Uefa, the first phase of which will soon take effect and, it is hoped, compel clubs gradually to balance their books.
Under the current arrangements, United have had some glum times. Gill is forgiving of defeats home and away to Athletic Bilbao in the Europa League since that tournament was the La Liga side's principal concern. United had a Premier League title in mind then, although it now stays in their thoughts only because it eluded them. Read More
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