Gary Neville has criticised Manchester United transfer window, arguing that his former club will have ‘big problems’ if they don’t invest in their midfield.
The pundit was incensed during United’s 2-0 defeat against Tottenham, which saw the Red Devils overrun at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday evening.
Erik ten Hag has spent almost £200million during the summer window, bringing in high-profile signings including Mason Mount from Chelsea for £60m and Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana for £50m.
Rasmus Hojlund was also drafted in from Serie A side Atalanta to lead the line for the Manchester club to the tune of a staggering £72m.
But the Sky Sports commentator was able to find fault with the Dutch manager’s defensive midfield selection, and suggested that bringing in a new No 6 was vital to Man United’s future success.
‘Ten Hag wants a No 6 who can play alongside Casemiro and at the moment the club can’t get players out to be able to fund that.
‘If they look at the first two weeks, they have to fund it or there will be big problems.
‘What’s clear is that Ten Hag doesn’t want to revert back to (Scott) McTominay. He has seen him for a year, and he has played alongside Casemiro, and he is doing everything but get him on.
‘He wants people to accept the ball, probably not the best because McTominay’s strengths lie in other areas. He’s probably not good enough on the ball to be a Man United player but would at least make a difference in this game.’
Neville referred to the club’s owners the Glazers as ‘rudderless’ when it came to transfer spending – amidst the ongoing tumult over its ownership, which has seen potential bidders Shiekh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe left ‘concerned’ that they are yet to hear a response to their £5bn offers.
On the whistle, the Treble-winner offered even more damning criticism, telling viewers: ‘Manchester United were out-played, out-fought, missing in midfield, not good enough up front and at the back they gave away goals. Well done to Spurs.
Manchester United have alot of work to do.
Man United has been upfront about seeking moves for a number of out-of-favour players during the transfer window, most notably former club captain Harry Maguire.
The England international was stripped of the armband in the midst of United’s pre-season tour, after a 2022/23 campaign spent largely on the bench for Ten Hag’s side.
Maguire was previously tipped for a £30m move to West Ham in a bid to reinvigorate his flagging form, but the move collapsed as the Europa Conference League winners grew tired of waiting for the defender to finalise his exit from Old Trafford.
The 30-year-old will now look to fight for his place in the squad, as Man United look elsewhere to raise funds to boost their power in the market.
Neville’s colleague Jamie Carragher voiced similar concerns earlier this week in his newspaper column, where he aimed fire at Man United’s apparent inability to ‘think ahead’ in defensive midfield.
The club’s acquisition of Casemiro, bought in last summer for £60m, was named by the former Liverpool player as particularly unsteady example of investment in the position.
‘Caicedo and Rice are examples of thinking ahead,’ the 45-year-old wrote. ‘Going big now to save cash for the next six or seven years in which they will assume their role.
‘I never believed Casemiro would be value for money. Not because there is any doubt that he has been a world-class player.
‘But because he is at a stage of his career when he cannot not fully repay United’s massive fee.
‘He was a panic buy when he joined a year ago,’ he continued. ‘An ageing, stellar name signed for big money and on a massive salary to appease increasingly disgruntled fans, despite the fact he will need replacing with a similarly massive outlay two years on.’
Man United’s 2023/24 campaign is off is to an uncertain start following defeat to Spurs, which came hot on the heels of a contentious opening match win.
The Red Devils snuck a 1-0 victory against Wolves at home, but narrowly avoided setting up the possibility of an equaliser after VAR failed to identify a clumsy challenge by Onana as a penalty moments before full time.
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