While the damning statement issued from Old Trafford yesterday evening left no-one in any doubt just how weak Gill and his fellow board members believe Glazer’s takeover plans appear to be, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner has succeeded in gaining access to key financial documents that will allow his backers JP Morgan to carry out ‘limited’ due diligence.

Once that is complete, Glazer must decide whether to lodge a formal £800m (€1.2bn), 300p per share offer for the club that would almost certainly plunge the Red Devils into chaos with Gill so implacably opposed to such a move.

“The board believes that the nature and return requirements of the capital structure (of the bid) will put pressure on the business of Manchester United, particularly if Glazer’s business plan was not met,” read the statement.

“The Board continues to believe that Glazer’s business plan assumptions are aggressive and that the direct and indirect financial strain on the business could be damaging.

“If the current proposal were to develop into an offer – and there can be no certainty this will occur – the board considers that it is unlikely to be in the best interests of Manchester United.”

The statement ripped apart any semblance of peace between Glazer and the club he covets and ensured the American will not only have to take on the sizeable number of United supporters who are due to step up their campaign against him with another city centre demonstration today, but also the men currently in charge.

It could derail Glazer’s bid at a stroke given one of the pre-conditions, believed to have been imposed by major backers JP Morgan, include a recommendation of any bid by the board.

Such a situation seems impossible to achieve given the ferocity of Gill’s attack on the American, who will no doubt be furious at the statement.

United have already suffered one revenge attack from Glazer, who culled three members of the Old Trafford board at the club’s annual general meeting in November, a move which saw JP Morgan back out of the initial bid.

Since then, Glazer has cut the amount of debt required to mount an approach from £500m (€725m) to £300m (€435m), with the difference being made up in ‘preferred securities’, which suspicious supporters view solely as debt by another name.

Gill is clearly not convinced by his ambitious profit and future growth forecasts, which could involve a unilateral attempt to scrap the Premier League’s collective television deal.

Also unimpressed, reading between the lines of a statement issued from Ireland, are major shareholders John Magnier and JP McManus, who own 28.9% of the club through their Cubic Expression investment vehicle.

Though Glazer has secretly taken his own stake in United to 28.8% over the past few weeks, he knows no deal is possible without the agreement of Cubic as another pre-condition of the bid is 75% share ownership.

And, reeling from the massive blow Gill inflicted on him yesterday, his pain will not have been eased by a one-line clarification of the Irishmen’s position.

“Yesterday’s announcement changes nothing in relation to Cubic’s position as long-term investors in Manchester United,” said a Cubic spokesman.

Cubic cut off links with Glazer in October, since when they have shown no inclination to re-open discussions.

United fans will hope that situation remains the same as it would signal the death knell for Glazer’s ambitions, although, with or without the help of Cubic, they have vowed to carry on fighting until the battle is won.

“City rules may dictate Glazer has to be allowed to look at the accounts but as far as we are concerned, Manchester United is a football club and that is how we want it to stay,” said Mark Longden, spokesman for the Independent Manchester United Supporters’ Association.