Salford owners David Beckham and Gary Neville have sparked a huge rebuild at the League Two club after realising 17 players ahead of the summer transfer window.
The two former Manchester United stars acquired full ownership of the Ammies with their latest takeover last week, buying out old team-mates Ryan Giggs, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt who were each 10 per cent shareholders previously.
Beckham and Neville have made no secret of their desire to propel Salford up the football league and were naturally disappointed by the club’s failure to qualify for the League Two playoffs, missing out by just three points after the 46-game season.
Just days after assuming full control of the club, the duo have released 17 of Salford’s players in an effort to shake things up ahead of the new campaign.
Fan favourite Matthew Lund, who was Salford’s longest-serving player following his arrival in 2021, is one of the 17 players omitted from the club’s retained list.
Confirming his exit moments after the announcement, the 34-year-old veteran said: ‘Salford City it’s been a pleasure!
David Beckham (right) and Gary Neville (left) have released 17 players at their club Salford
Fan favourite Matthew Lund (left) is one of those being released as part of the huge reshuffle
Beckham and Neville acquired full ownership of Salford last week after buying old team-mates Ryan Giggs (third right), Phil Neville (second left), Paul Scholes (left) and Nicky Butt (third left)
‘Loved my four years at the club. Thanks to all the players, staff and fans.’
Meanwhile, Liam Shephard and Conor McAleny will be moving on after four years at the Peninsula Stadium, while Ryan Watson is also heading for the exit door.
Honouring the players’ commitment to the club in a statement, Salford said: ‘All four have made crucial contributions and been involved in some key moments during their time in M7, including reaching the play-offs in 2022-23, and move onto the next stage of their careers with our very best wishes and gratitude for their efforts and professionalism throughout their respective stays.’
They join Jez Davies, Marcus Dackers, Jon Taylor, James Carr, Callum Morton and Sandro Da Costa as the senior players released by the League Two club.
In terms of academy stars, Liam Humbles, Eze Bowen, Matty Cucos, Ben Collins, Aiden Lancaster, Jacob Hamman and Kamoy McNair have also left the club.
A handful of loan stars — Matty Young (Sunderland), Kylian Kouassi (Blackpool), Lewis Warrington (Leyton Orient), Stephan Negru (Oxford United), Tyrese Fornah (Derby) and Frankie Okoronkwo (Everton) — will return to their parent clubs too.
Beckham and Neville urged that they will be very hands-on in their stewardship of Salford as they chase the dream of reaching the Premier League one day.
The former Real Madrid star, who is also an owner of MLS outfit Inter Miami, opened up on their ambitions plans after the takeover and said: ‘We’re definitely not doing it for a laugh and it’s also not for the romantic side of things.
Beckham admitted he and Neville will be very hands-on in their stewardship of the club
The ex-England star admitted that the success of Ryan Reynolds (right) and Rob McElhenney (left) at Wrexham has been inspirational as he looks to propel Salford up the football league
‘Yes, we care about the club — but we’re doing it to win. We want Salford to be successful and we have had success, but then we want it to go on to the next level.
‘I always dream big so I’m always going to want us to get to the pinnacle of football and be in the Premier League. But there’s a lot of hard work and a lot of investment to be done up until that point.
‘The Championship is a league that we want to get in but it’s step by step. We want success very quickly but these things take time.
‘There’s a reason why we’re not going to be going up this year. So what is that reason? How do we solve it? And what do we need to put around the team, the manager and the club to ensure we have that success?
‘But if we can do that, fast forward it and be up in the Championship, that’s what the dream would be.
‘We’ve all been inspired by what Ryan Reynolds has been doing at Wrexham and I’m not saying this is why we’re doing it because it’s not. But I’ve spoken to Ryan about it so many times now and he said the feeling around the city, the feeling around the club, is so exceptional. That’s the kind of thing that we want to create.’
