Manchester United Match Cowboys as Most Valuable Team, Valued at $4.8 Billion

Manchester United have matched NFL outfit Dallas Cowboys as the most valuable sports team in the world.

According to Kurt Badenhausen of Forbes, despite the Red Devils' 3-0 home defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday, the club's share price hit $26.05 (£20), making its enterprise value $4.8 billion (£3.7 billion), the same as that of the Cowboys.

Badenhausen added there has been a 55 per cent rise in the value of United's shares in the past 12 months, a boost in fortunes that belies their somewhat drab performances on the pitch.

United finished a distant second to champions Manchester City in the Premier League last term and failed to win any silverware.

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The 2018-19 season has started in miserable fashion for the Red Devils, as their 3-0 defeat to Spurs was preceded by a 3-2 loss at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Jose Mourinho's side are already six points off the pace in the Premier League, having earned a 2-1 win on the opening day of the season against Leicester City.

United's finances, though, remain in peak condition as they continue to outstrip all other clubs in the sport.

As Badenhausen noted, the Red Devils constantly make lucrative agreements with numerous brands across the globe.

They announced their first sleeve sponsor back in July after agreeing a partnership with American manufacturing company Kohler

Mourinho will be hoping his players turn their form around on Sunday, when they face Burnley at Turf Moor.