Manchester United chief Ed Woodward says a spell without winning silverware won't hurt the club's popularity.

Woodward played down the consequences of a period outside Europe's elite, citing the present example of Liverpool.

"It takes a long time to build a huge fan base," he said. "That will not go away for a long time.

"Some of our competitors have not won the league for a long time and they still sell a lot of shirts globally; one of them is just down the road from us.

"That is not something I am sitting here concerned about."