‘I can’t believe it!’ - Man Utd’s four key players named by Neville

Suraj Radia

• 3 Mar 2023 10:53 GMT
• 2 min read

Gary Neville has revealed the four players he believes have been most important to Manchester United’s success this season under Erik ten Hag.

United sit in the top four in the Premier League on the back of a run of just two defeats in their last 32 games in all competitions and having won the EFL Cup against Newcastle last week.

Casemiro was voted man of the match at Wembley and the Brazilian was named by Neville as United’s most impressive player this season, having been a revelation since his £70 million transfer from Real Madrid last summer.

WINNER: Casemiro's final record paying off at United

Neville was full of praise for the Brazilian but the ex-United captain also expressed his shock at the reversal in form of the other three players he believed to be imperative to the club’s fortunes this season.

"In order, I'd go: Casemiro, [Marcus] Rashford, [David] De Gea and [Raphael] Varane in equal third at this moment in time. I can't believe I'm saying that, I mean forget Casemiro he wasn't here last year," Neville told Sky Sports.

"But I can't believe I'm saying that Varane, De Gea and Rashford have elevated themselves into a position now where you feel they're in great form.”

The revival of United’s core stars

United have seen a dramatic rise since their opening back-to-back defeats under Ten Hag, with Rashford, De Gea and Varane displaying impressive form in direct contrast to last season, where the trio were often criticised for inconsistent performances.

Rashford in particular has been a revelation and his having his most prolific season ever on the back of his least productive campaign last year, where he netted just five times compared to 25 so far this season.

ODD: Ten Hag's 'strange' decision that helped Rashford

Varane also has featured more regularly this season, establishing an impressive partnership with Lisandro Martinez at the heart of United’s defence, while De Gea already has two more clean sheets this year than he had in the entirety of the last campaign.

"This team are starting to build a trust in the fans, a trust in ourselves watching and in opposition teams as well that they're never out of a game. They've got a great spirit, they never feel like they're beaten," Neville added.