United are edging ever closer to chairman Stephen Thompson’s dream – where the only credit they seek will be for their performances on the field.
Thompson and the rest of his board have worked tirelessly over the past few years to make the club more self-efficient and drive down the spiralling debt – which once stood at well over £6.5million – that had crippled them from previous regimes.
By working out deals they have been able to get out of the vice-like grip of the bank and transfer their debts to more individual United-friendly lenders.
That along with the big-money sales of Andrew Robertson and Ryan Gauld, which will eventually net more than £4.5m in transfer fees, have moved United a step closer to becoming debt-free.
“I said from the outset that I wanted to leave this club debt-free,” said Thompson, who took over the helm from his late father, Eddie, six years ago. “That was my ambition. It looks like it could be happening a lot quicker than even I thought.
“It is one thing getting the finances right, but you also have to be successful on the park at the same time. That balance is so difficult.”