Manchester United may be in with a shout of qualifying for the Champions League this season despite their domestic woes, but Gary Neville has claimed they need to sell ‘eight to 10’ players if they are to push on next term.
The Red Devils have had a season of historic proportions – and not in the way they would hope. Currently in 16th in the Premier League, they have had a 2024-25 campaign to forget.
Sacking Erik ten Hag for Ruben Amorim in mid-season has scarcely shown any signs of tangible improvement on the pitch, and their blushes are arguably only spared by Tottenham’s equally woeful season with the north Londoners in 17th.
Yet, miraculously, one of the two will qualify for the the Champions League when they face off in the Europa League final next week, though what United would do when they get there will be based largely on how their recruitment this summer goes.
It is no secret that theirs is a roster in need of rejuvenation, despite another hefty summer of spending last year, but for Neville, most of the action required would be through the exit, rather than the entrance doors.
He also suggested that Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Casemiro would be among those set to depart, but hinted their high salaries could prove a hurdle.
Gary Neville has claimed that Manchester United need to sell ‘eight to 10 players’
Ruben Amorim and Co do at least have the chance to finish on a high in the Champions League
Neville also suggested that Marcus Rashford could be one of the players to leave this summer
‘You’re talking about eight to 10 players have to go,’ the former club legend told The Overlap Fan Debate, brought to you by Sky Bet, who also slammed the ‘abhorrent’ recruitment at United.
‘There’s three or four players that will leave through being out of contract, and he needs to get [another] five or six out, and they’re going to have to pay to get them out.
‘Rashford’s wages now will be paid half by Manchester United. That’s £180,000-a-week, £8million-a-year being paid by United.’
Whether or not United can attract the calibre of player required to take them back up to the top end of the table, remains to be seen.
With their league form alarming to put it mildly, there is an argument that they are not currently presenting an attractive prospect to many potential recruits.
Moreover, with the threat of PSR and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s wider attempts to reduce expenditure at the club, there is a likelihood United can’t offer the arguably inflated wages to sweeten the deal.
There is also the fact that they have a poor track record in recent history for how players have fared once joining the club, according to Neville.
‘I genuinely believe it’s been a graveyard for every player that’s joined that club in the last 10 years apart from Bruno,’ Neville added.
Neville singled out Bruno Fernandes as the sole success story of United’s transfer business
Amorim’s side are currently 16th in the Premier League and showing little sign of improvement
They will however be taking on 17th-placed Tottenham in the Europa League final
‘There’s not one player joined that club that’s improved apart from Bruno Fernandes, and he’s a stand out to be fair, he’s amazing what he’s doing.
‘The rest of them, whether you go back to [Angel] Di Maria and [Bastian] Schweinsteiger, every player that’s signed has gone backwards.’
United at least still have the chance to finish on a comparative high by winning the Europa League, and the way their performances in the league have been of late, they have got every ounce of their attention set on that game.
They will be taking on a Tottenham team that, thankfully for United fans, are in even worse form than Amorim and Co.
In fact, Spurs are rock bottom of the Premier League form table judging from the last five games – though United are only ahead of them on goal difference.
