Gary Neville believes Manchester United did the right thing by rebuilding their midfield this summer, but he has serious concerns about what could happen if injuries hit one position.
Manchester United spent around £150 million on Carlos Baleba, Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, making midfield the clear priority during the transfer window. Gary Neville understands why the club went down that route, especially with Kobbie Mainoo previously the only midfielder he considered a clear option.
“They had to deal with the midfield, they only had one player in Mainoo, so they had to get three in midfield, that was absolutely essential – whether you could argue they got the right players in midfield, we will find that out in the next six to eight months,” Neville said on Sky Sports.
Gary Neville fears problems at the back
The former United captain’s concern is what the club did not add after sorting out the middle of the pitch.
United had interest in Sandro Tonali, Elliot Anderson and Mateus Fernandes, but Neville believes deals in that price range would have taken up too much of the available budget. Instead, United spread the money across three midfielders.
“They obviously liked Tonali, Anderson and Fernandes, but they went for £80-£100m and that would have swept up too much of their transfer budget and the volume of players they needed as Ugarte – who nobody thought was good enough anyway – also got injured in the World Cup, so they had to deal with that.”
There was still an attempt to strengthen in defence late in the window. Neville referred to United’s reported move for Rayan Ait-Nouri, but no deal was completed.
That leaves Luke Shaw as the only specialist senior left-back, while Harry Maguire remains one of the main options at centre-back. Neville believes that leaves the squad exposed if either player suffers an injury.
“Carrick knew he needed defenders, apparently they went for Ait Nouri late on and if Shaw – who does tend to get injured – and Maguire got injured, it would be a real problem.”
“They’ve left themselves short in defence.”
Michael Carrick satisfied with transfer business
Neville’s comments come despite Michael Carrick’s satisfaction with United’s business overall. The United manager believes the club improved the squad during the window and has backed the players brought through the door.
“I think we’ve brought some really good players into the football club, and improved the squad in different ways, individually but collectively,” Carrick told Sky Sports.
The United boss also acknowledged that getting deals done is rarely simple, particularly in a window where spending across the Premier League was high.
“Transfer windows are never straightforward and this window in particular has been challenging for different reasons. There’s a lot of money being spent in and around the league itself, and I think we’ve made the most of the situation that we’ve found ourselves in.”
The transfer window ensured United ended up with some decent midfield options, something Neville believes was essential. The question now is whether the defensive options available to Michael Carrick can stay fit enough for Carrick to get through the season without that lack of depth becoming a bigger issue.
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