Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville thinks former side Manchester United dropped the ball by not signing Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice and Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane.
Manchester United were linked with Declan Rice while he was at West Ham and the England star had been a central part of the Hammers team after his emergence.
However, Arsenal beat the likes of Manchester City to secure the services of Rice after the Gunners splashed out on a £105m transfer deal back in 2023.
Harry Kane was also on Man Utd’s radar for a time before the Bayern Munich and England striker completed his high-profile exit from Tottenham in 2023.
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Marcus Rashford celebrates with teammates Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Declan Rice after during the UEFA Euro 2024 European qualifier match between England and Italy at Wembley Stadium in 2023 in London, England.
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Gary Neville explains why Declan Rice and Harry Kane are in the same bracket for missed Man Utd signings
Bayern Munich paid an initial transfer fee of £86.4m to land former Tottenham striker Harry Kane amid interest from Manchester City and Manchester United.
Kane has become a key part of Bayern’s attack force since his blockbuster transfer and has been in scintillating form in the 2025-26 campaign for the German side.
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Declan Rice, much like England teammate Kane, has been going from strength to strength and the 27-year-old former West Ham midfielder has impressed at Arsenal.
The Gunners midfielder has been a central part of Mikel Arteta’s plans this season amid Arsenal’s push for the Premier League title ahead of Manchester City.
Gary Neville has now insisted that England skipper Kane and Three Lions star Rice would both have been Man Utd signings ‘back in the day.’
Speaking on The Overlap’s Stick to Football show, he said: “No, no. Right, hear me out. I do think Declan Rice is someone… when he went to Arsenal for £100m, I was gutted.
“I think he’s a Manchester United player. He’s the player, Harry Kane, Declan Rice, that Manchester United would have always signed back in the day.”
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Man Utd legend Gary Neville makes a Declan Rice prediction amid Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge
Neville praised Rice’s influence at Arsenal and the United legend feels that the Arsenal midfielder is a player who can win the Premier League title for his team.
“You don’t let Declan Rice go to any other club,” he added.
“He is a player who will win you the league, right? To me, on Sunday, he is the player I am looking at.
“This is not me putting pressure on him, by the way. This is me expecting that this is the Roy Keane moment, the Gerrard moment […].”
Arsenal are six points ahead of second-place Man City in the Premier League title race, but the Gunners have played one more match than Pep Guardiola’s men.
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