GILL, UNITED & AGENTS

Last updated : 18 June 2004 By editor

"We believe that it is appropriate and we wouldn't do that unless we thought it was helpful for us. They are paid in accordance with our parameters and I think it demonstrates how we see the business going forward.

"We did get some bad press, 'Why did you pay this person so much for Smith to come here?' I'm sorry, but he did do a function in negotiating his main asset's contract. Yes, Alan Smith wanted to come here but he could have gone somewhere else."

"It's very emotive but people have got to understand that agents do have a role. You may not like it and the word 'agent' not just in football but in life generally, is viewed with difficulty. Do we like estate agents? We don't usually, so the agent has connotations of a guy getting money for nothing.

"Agents have a role. These footballers are very talented on the pitch but they perhaps haven't got the business acumen, so therefore they need someone to help with their negotiations and quite rightly." Gill told MUTV.