Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward says they are ‘more confident than ever’ of winning silverware after bolstering the team with huge investment in a busy summer.
United spent more than £130m on Cristiano Ronaldo, Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane before the transfer deadline, with Solskjaer desperate to make up ground on Premier League champions Man City.
Jose Mourinho steered the Red devils to their last silverware, the Europa League title, back in May 2017 and fans are growing impatient for Solskjaer to bring an end to their four-year trophy drought.
And it’s been a good start to the season for United, who find themselves top of the Premier League ahead of their game against West Ham this weekend.
Speaking after the release of the club’s annual earnings call, Woodward praised his colleagues for their ‘resilience’ throughout the pandemic and revealed his ‘great optimism’ for the campaign ahead.
‘It has been an exciting start to the season at Old Trafford, with capacity crowds in attendance for the first time in almost 18 months,’ he said.
‘We were delighted to welcome back Cristiano Ronaldo to the club, along with Raphael Varane, Jadon Sancho and Tom Heaton, to further reinforce the progress that our first-team has been making under Ole.
‘These signings have demonstrated our continued ability to attract some of the world’s best footballers to Old Trafford, and our firm commitment to helping Ole deliver success on the pitch. Furthermore, we recently sold Dan James to Leeds for a fee of £25 million, plus add-ons.
‘This was made possible by the strength of our operating model, with sustained investment in the team underpinned by robust commercial revenues.
‘Everyone associated with Manchester United can be proud of the resilience we have shown through the challenges created by the pandemic and we look forward to the rest of the season and beyond with great optimism.’
Woodward added: ‘We have been clear in our strategy to build a squad with a blend of top-class recruits and homegrown talent, comprising a balance of youth and experience, with the aim of winning trophies and playing attacking football the Manchester United way.
‘As part of this, we have continued to strengthen our recruitment and scouting processes, and we have also increased our investment in the academy, to ensure that this success is sustainable.
‘While squad-building is a constant process, we are more confident than ever that we are on the right track.’
