Jim ONeill: Profile of Manchester Uniteds Red Knight

By Richard Fletcher, City Editor Published: 1:46PM GMT 02 March 2010

Lifelong Red: Jim O"Neill is heading the Red Knights consortium, that is pronounced have perceived pledges of up to �500m to replace the Glazers Photo: BLOOMBERG

O"Neill, a lifelong United fan, was between those benefaction at yesterday"s assembly of the Red Knights Group.

He is Goldman Sachs" arch economist. That on all sides - and O"Neill"s repute - creates him one of the world"s majority sought-after mercantile commentators. But his credentials is scarcely medium for man with such veteran influence.

Analysis: the be concerned for Man Utd is O"Neill is customarily right Red Knights instruct fans" await Man Utd fans should buy the club, says sidestep account star Points not increase is banking of football United fans should be clever what they instruct for Man Utd opens window on ghastly universe of leveraged buy-outs

O"Neill grew up in Gatley in Manchester, the son of a postman. More penetrating on football than the classroom, he incited down a place at in isolation propagandize quite since it didn"t fool around the game. Instead he went to Burnage Comprehensive, whose alumni embody Noel and Liam Gallagher.

From there he went to Sheffield University to investigate embankment and economics. He forsaken the geography, strong on personification football and going to the pub, but still shone at economics.

It was additionally during these years that he grown a love for Manchester United, in the future apropos a non-executive executive and financier in the club, before to the takeover by the Glazer family in 2005.

O"Neill went open with his concerns about United"s monetary on all sides progressing this year, at a time when the Glazer family were looking new equates to to diminution the club"s debt repayments.

"There"s as well most precedence going on with Manchester United," pronounced O"Neill, who appeared to have been held off-guard when quizzed on the down payment issue by Zijing Wu, a Bloomberg reporter, at the finish of an eight-minute talk on China"s banking policy. "I worth my long-term await for Manchester United improved than anything else," he added. O"Neill"s comments lifted eyebrows since Goldman Sachs was between the advisers on the down payment issue.