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Ed Woodward: 'Manchester United remain absolutely committed to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer'

Woodward: 'Man United remain absolutely committed to Solskjaer'
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Mauricio Pochettino has been widely linked with the Norwegian's role at Old Trafford.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward insists the club remain "absolutely committed" to manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Woodward's words of support for the Norwegian were contained in the Premier League club's first-quarter financial results, which were released a day early in error and show an operating loss of £27.1million.

Solskjaer's position at Old Trafford has come under increased scrutiny following an unconvincing start to the season, with Mauricio Pochettino widely linked to the job.

Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has publicly backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has publicly backed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Martin Rickett/PA)

United sit 14th in the table following disappointing home defeats to Crystal Palace, Tottenham and Arsenal, which were compounded by a shock Champions League loss to Turkish club Istanbul Baseksehir.

"On the pitch, while there is still hard work ahead to achieve greater consistency, we remain absolutely committed to the positive path we are on under Ole as the team continues to develop," said Woodward.

Financial details were mistakenly made public on Thursday evening due to a blunder from the US-based publisher of United's regulatory statements.

Results for the 2021 fiscal first quarter – ended September 30 – show United operated at a loss of £27.1m. The club made an £11m profit during the same quarter last year.

Overall revenue was £109m, a drop of 19.5 per cent.

With fixtures being played behind closed doors due to the coronavirus pandemic, United's revenue continues to be adversely affected.

Matchday revenue dropped dramatically, falling 92.3 per cent from £22.1m to 1.7m, while commercial revenue plummeted 25.7 per cent to £59.7m.

However, broadcasting revenue rose – from £32.9m to £47.6m – as a result of the delayed 2019-20 Premier League campaign being completed in July.

Premier League matches, including at Old Tafford, continue to be played behind closed doors
Premier League matches, including at Old Tafford, continue to be played behind closed doors (Michael Regan/PA)

The club's net debt stands at £440.6m, a 14.6 per cent rise from last year's 384.5m.

Shareholders will receive a divided of 0.09 dollars per share (£0.069).

Woodward added: "While the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause significant disruption, we are optimistic that the recovery and normalisation phase is gradually coming into view.

"The club's resilience and our strong commercial business continue to provide a solid foundation and gives us confidence in our long-term outlook beyond the pandemic, both on and off the pitch."

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Tables
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Leicester CityLeicester8602189918
2Tottenham HotspurSpurs85211991017
3Liverpool85211816217
4Southampton85121612416
5Chelsea843120101015
6Aston Villa7502189915
7Everton84131614213
8Crystal Palace84131212013
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves841389-113
10Manchester CityMan City7331109112
11Arsenal8404910-112
12West Ham UnitedWest Ham83231410411
13Newcastle UnitedNewcastle83231013-311
14Manchester UnitedMan Utd73131214-210
15Leeds UnitedLeeds83141417-310
16Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton81341114-36
17Fulham8116715-84
18West Bromwich AlbionWest Brom8035617-113
19Burnley7025312-92
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd8017414-101

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