Elon Musk set tongues wagging last night when he tweeted that he was going to buy Manchester United. It soon turned out to be a joke, but it prompted plenty of people to wonder: when it comes to football, who does Elon Musk support?
While the Tesla owner quickly clarified his tweet, he did go on to admit something that may still please United fans.
‘No, this is a long-running joke on Twitter,’ Musk said. ‘I’m not buying any sports teams.
‘Although, if it were any team, it would be Man U. They were my fav team as a kid.’
So there you have it. Musk appears to have a soft spot for the Manchester club, supporting them as a child. And, as we all know, that kind of allegiance is for life.
Musk would be an unlikely saviour for United
United are in a state of turmoil right now and Musk’s investment would have made him an unlikely but very welcome saviour. Unfortunately for everyone who loves the Red Devils, the Glazers remain in control and the club is showing little sign of improvement on or off the pitch.
United have lost their first two games of the new Premier League season. First they suffered a 2-1 defeat against Brighton, then they capitulated in shocking style away to Brentford. With United 4-0 down at half-time, fans were (once again) calling for a change at the very top.
Manager Erik Ten Hag is the right man at the wrong time. United fans can only hope that he ultimately gets the investment needed to turn this underperforming squad back into the winners.
What could Musk have done for Manchester United?
We are dealing with hypotheticals now, but the main thing is: Money! Musk is the world’s richest man, with a reported net worth of £223bn. That means United would be sitting on an absolute gold mine if the 51-year-old did ever take over at Old Trafford.
As Musk made clear last night, this is almost impossible. But his tweet certainly raised some interesting questions for United fans.
The club needs cash to compete with the top clubs on the continent. Manchester City and Chelsea are flush with cash, while Liverpool continue to spend very wisely. And that is without factoring in some other top Premier League clubs who are pushing United further down the table.
What United need is an owner who is willing to invest their own money into the club; something the Glazers simply don’t do.
This transfer window is a sign of how far United have fallen. To date, they have signed only three players (one for free) with a net spend of around £52million. Musk – or any other huge investor – could give the club a lot more than that.
Given the state of United’s current squad, they need it.
Musk tweet shows how desperate Manchester United fans have become
Musk’s message may have been a joke. But it is a sign of how far United have fallen in recent times that their fans are gutted that this one doesn’t have legs.
United supporters would have been jubilant if someone with that much money, who has supported the club since he was a child, wanted to invest. Instead, they are waiting for someone else to show their hand.
