The stance Sheffield United adopted during Project Big Picture debate

Although United’s representatives expressed sympathy with some aspects of the plan, such as the need to provide financial support to clubs in the English Football League during the Covid-19 pandemic, they were concerned by its idea to cut the number of top-flight teams and grant enhanced voting rights to a select band of “established” teams.

Liverpool and Manchester United, who co-authored PBP together with EFL chairman Rick Parry, agreed to consign their scheme to the dustbin after being accused of launching a power-grab by many of its detractors.

In line with their stance during discussions about ‘Project Restart’ - which marked professional football’s return to action in June following a three month suspension - the delegation from Bramall Lane agreed to listen to all points of view when PBP was debated on Wednesday. But they had already effectively decided to cast their vote against it before the discussions, held on Zoom, began.

Liverpool owner John Henry and his fellow American Joel Glazer, co-chairman of Manchester United, are understood not to have taken part in this week’s summit - which also addressed their idea to grant PL sides the right to sell the broadcasting rights to eight of their matches per season via in-house streaming platforms. Henry, whose club are scheduled to host United next weekend, has long championed the notion that the so-called “big six” should not be required to subsidise, as he sees it, the PL’s lower-ranking teams – particularly in terms of agreements brokered with foreign media companies.

Despite being painted as a defeat for Henry and Glazer, there are concerns many aspects of PBP will be resurrected when PL shareholders begin the strategic review they committed to undertake after blocking its implementation. Many figures within the EFL have already signalled they still expect their governing body to receive a 25 per cent cut of future PL rights agreements, as suggested by PBP’s architects.

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