City File: Manchester Utd

MANCHESTER UNITED may not be going to win the Premier League, but the club has won its spurs as a public company. Investors no longer see it as an oddity, and its following is growing.

This will be helped on Tuesday, when United announces half-year profits rising to pounds 4.5m despite the rebuilding of Old Trafford cutting capacity by nearly a third. The shares may by 1p short of their all-time high at 396p, but they could go higher still.