London - The 10th anniversary of Manchester United being bought up by American investors will pass on Tuesday without champagne corks popping at the club or fan protests on the streets. The mood in the boardroom is one of relief: Champions League revenue will flow into Old Trafford once again in 2015-16 after this season's absence from Europe's top competition.
The Glazer family's financial blueprint for English football's biggest club has succeeded on and off the field following a takeover that burdened the club with debt and was contingent on ongoing success.
But foreign ownership has been a more sobering experience for the other Premier League teams bought by American investors in the last decade, with scrapes against relegation or unfulfilled aspirations at upper echelons of the Premier League.