Former United boss says ground buy a '˜no brainer'

After nearly 13 years, new owner Andrea Radrizzani last week completed a deal for the team’s parent company Greenfield Investment Pte Ltd to acquire the ground – freeing United of an annual rent of £1.7m.

And ex-managing director of the club David Haigh praised the move during an interview with the Yorkshire Evening Post.

Describing the decision as a “no brainer”, he said: “It’s something to cheer you up. It’s great news. There’s certainly extremely positive moves coming from [the ownership] which is really good.”

He added: “This bloke seems to be doing it for the right reasons.”

Mr Haigh was in charge of the day-to-day running at Leeds United until 2014, and said that he had wanted the ground to be in the ownership of the club.

“You get your home back and it’s yours.

“That was one of the most frustrating things for me.”

And he spoke of his belief that United is a “Premier League club in the Championship”.

Mr Haigh, 39, is now on the committee of Penzance AFC, trying to get people behind the club in a rugby-loving area.

The YEP yesterday reported how Mr Haigh is currently staying in a psychiatric hospital for treatment to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. He says that he was abused and once tortured by Dubai police.