In Tampa, the Glazer family were attempting to deflect any claim the loss at the Stadium of Light had plunged their own financial plans into darkness.

“It was a disappointing result for everyone within the club and beyond but it will have absolutely no bearing on the family’s long-term business plan,” said a source close to the Glazers.

“There appears to be this feeling the family do not know what they have bought into and they are naive investors.

“But they are long-term investors in sport, and specifically Manchester United. It is three years now since the family took a significant stake in the club and they also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“They know all about the ups and downs of sport far more than people give them credit for.

“People have to appreciate there is enough slack in the financial side and the family are very comfortable with the level of debt.”

Although Glazer borrowed £540million to complete his purchase of United in May, the major repayments are not due to kick in for almost two years.

It means the American business tycoon still has plenty of time to unveil the grand plan many believe he must have if he is to increase profits to the levels he would appear to require.

While the negativity surrounding the club’s European exit is not welcome and the wiping away of the potential to gain £15million by emulating Liverpool’s charge to Champions League glory last season is a blow, the damage should not be too long-lasting provided it is not repeated.

United would be in a far worse situation should they fail to qualify for the Champions League at all and analysts do not believe negotiations to find a replacement for Vodafone will be adversely affected by last night’s unexpected defeat.

“You would still expect them to command a deal that assumes they are in the group stage of the Champions League – they have been for nearly 10 years,” said Simon Banks, a leading independent football analyst.

“The extra exposure that you get from reaching the knockout stages is not that great in terms of how that translates into the value of a shirt deal.”

The warm words will be appreciated by Gill and his Manchester-based team but what no-one can truly know is what the Glazer family think about Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who has brought United so much success, but is now being blamed for their failure.

Ferguson has responded to the merest suggestion of his exit after 19 glorious years with his usual defiance, steadfastly refusing to enter discussions with interrogators, insisting instead he has a ’job to do’.

The Scot is now on a one-year rolling contract, which can be terminated by either side with a 12-month notice period.

If activated by the club, it would almost certainly mean an immediate departure for Ferguson with a year’s pay as his leaving present.

Given the secret manner in which they conduct their affairs, it would be impossible to know whether the Glazers were even thinking about such a move.

However, the bookmakers believe Ferguson is more likely than not to remain in the post for the start of next season.

And so relaxed are the Glazers about United’s present state that they will not attend Sunday’s encounter with Everton, preferring instead to remain in the US for the Buccaneers’ key NFL encounter with Carolina Panthers.

Neither will Ferguson address the media for his usual Friday press conference tomorrow, a task left to his assistant Carlos Queiroz as the Scot attends a funeral.

At least that removes another source of irritation for the United boss, who can then leave his side to try to rectify some of the damage by beating Everton on Sunday.

A fifth successive Barclays Premiership win may be seen as papering over the cracks of a disastrous week, although the Glazer camp still appear to view events on the domestic front with plenty of enthusiasm.

“It is worth remembering the club are still second in the Premiership and are fully focused on doing well in that tournament,” said the Glazer source.

“In any sport, if you have a bad result, you dust yourself off and look forward to the next game.”