Gary Neville has underlined the huge challenge facing Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Ineos in the short term at Old Trafford after Manchester United’s dreadful 2024-25 campaign.
Manchester United endured an abysmal season at Old Trafford and the Red Devils suffered their worst finish in the table in the Premier League era.
Ruben Amorim, who took charge as United manager in 2024, was only able to lead the Red Devils to 15th place in the table amid a lacklustre run of form.
The Red Devils only managed to finish 15th after United defeated 10-man Aston Villa 2-0 at Old Trafford on the final day of the Premier League season last Sunday.
United suffered 18 Premier League defeats alone in their campaign and the Red Devils picked up only 11 league wins from 38 league matches last season.
The Red Devils had already struggled at the start of the 2024-25 campaign under former United manager Erik ten Hag, who was sacked by the club last October.
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Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
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Gary Neville reveals the impact of Man Utd missing out on the Champions League after the 2025 Europa League final defeat
Manchester United failed to secure European football through their Premier League standing and all of the Red Devils’ hopes relied on the 2025 Europa League final.
Ruben Amorim’s men travelled to the San Mames Stadium in Spain earlier this month and United faced Tottenham in the Europa League final in Bilbao.
However, Tottenham defeated United 1-0 in the Europa League encounter and Spurs punched their ticket to the Champions League for the 2025-26 campaign.
United will not play European football at Old Trafford next season and the Red Devils missed out on the financial incentives of securing Champions League football.
Gary Neville has insisted that United and the likes of Ineos and Sir Jim Ratcliffe cannot even tell themselves that they’re “OK” after the Europa League final loss.
Speaking to Goal, the United legend said: “It would have been a silver lining around the dark cloud last Wednesday night if Manchester United would have won.
“But the fact that they didn’t win, maybe it’s what the club needed. Maybe it’s the low that ultimately everybody at the club sort of… when you win a final and you get into the Champions League, you can sometimes tell yourself, ‘Yeah, we’re OK.’
“We’re not OK. The club’s not OK. It needs [a] drastic change, and I’m hopeful of that drastic change coming.
“How far that will set Manchester United back, that loss, we don’t know yet.”
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Gary Neville talks about Man Utd fans and his prediction for the Premier League club
Neville said that United fans have shown ‘patience’ amid the turmoil at the Premier League club, but only with the expectation of the Red Devils returning to success.
“But fans are patient,” he continued.
“They love the club. They love the players. They love their manager.
“And they recognise that one day, Manchester United will return to success, but it could be quite a while off yet because of what’s happening in the current phase.”
The Red Devils embarked on a post-season tour of Asia earlier this week after United’s Premier League result against Aston Villa last weekend.