Manchester United takoever hopefuls will be subjected to the new fit-and-proper-person directors' test, but there will be no decision to block buyers from certain countries, a UK government minister has confirmed.

Sports minister Stuart Andrew has laid out the criteria for potential owners to pass the directors' test, which is set to become stricter under the government's White Paper for football.

“We recognise we have had significant international investment from all over the world in English football, but what we’re trying to do is get down to who is the original owner, and they have to pass the fit and proper person’s test,” Andrew said.

“The state side of things is obviously a matter for the foreign office – we’re not talking about foreign policy here. As far as we’re concerned, the really important thing is that those individuals are [tested] in the way that other individuals will be by other regulators – in the financial world for example.

"They have to pass those fit and proper tests but we also have to know where their sources of funding are coming from.”