Gary Neville issued a gruelling verdict on Man United's current state of affairs
The club legend slammed their recruitment and poor ownership in recent years
LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Is Alisson the best goalkeeper in the Premier League?
By YASEEN ZAMAN
Published: 10:25 EDT, 9 March 2025 | Updated: 10:25 EDT, 9 March 2025
Gary Neville issued a damning verdict on Manchester United's current state of affairs, as he outlined how their substandard ownership have led to their demise on the pitch.
The former right back singled out United's recruitment as an area of concern, admitting the Red Devils' current group of players are not even close to those under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho - managers which many believed failed United.
In January, Ruben Amorim labelled his United side 'maybe the worst' in the club's history, and the records would certainly agree.
In Erik ten Hag's final full season at United, they logged their lowest finish in the rebranded top-flight (eighth). But that record is set to be broken one year later, with United languishing in 15th under Amorim.
Neville attributed United's failure to many things, starting with their poor recruitment and lack of star power in the squad.
'A few years ago, United had a team that had Lukaku and Pogba and Alexis Sánchez and Di María. I thought they had fantastic talent and were capable of destroying teams on the day,' Neville said.
Gary Neville slammed Man United's poor recruitment and sub-par squad in recent years
The Red Devils are on track to log their worst ever finish in Premier League history (15th)
In January, Ruben Amorim labelled his side 'maybe the worst in the history of Man United'
'My worry with this group of players, as I look around this dressing room, is they are nowhere near the calibre of players that have failed Manchester United in the last 10 years.
‘I say that with some level of kindness. It’s not the most kind thing to say. I genuinely look around this dressing room and I think to myself, how has this club ended up in a position whereby it has recruited, as Ruben Amorim called it — I’ll quote Ruben Amorim — the worst Manchester United team in history?'
While the Red Devils are set to blow almost every Premier League 'worst' in club history out of the water this season, their new ownership have turned their attention to cost-cutting measures.
From hundreds of redundancies to cancelled parties in an attempt to promote financial sustainability at Old Trafford, INEOS have come under heavy fire from fans as affairs on the pitch worsen.
Neville noted that United's recent fortunes on the pitch are simply aligned with how poorly he believes the club is ran off the pitch.
'I think that when you see that Manchester United have gone from the richest football club in the world to not being able to feed their own staff—that is a massive demise,' he said.
'And what’s hitting now on the pitch is hitting off the pitch as well. The debt, the poor recruitment, the lack of ability to find a performance. They’re now 15th in the league, which I never thought I’d see—Manchester United 15th in the league in March.
'So there’s not a lot to look upon other than the fact that the manager does retain an element of optimism, and you hope that he can be supported and get it right for next season. But this season’s a bit of a write-off.'
United are on track to score the fewest goals in a single Premier League campaign in club history (46)
Neville went on to admit that this campaign is as good as over for United, and that the only positive to take into next season is that Amorim remains optimistic.
'There's not a lot to look upon other than the fact that the manager does retain an element of optimism.
'You hope that he can be supported and get it right for next season, but this season is a bit of a write-off.'