Gary Neville is right about his Man Utd transfer concerns
Suraj Radia
- Updated: 4 Aug 2022 16:13 CDT
- 3 min read
Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has expressed his concerns over Manchester United’s transfer business this summer.
United boss Erik ten Hag has brought in three players this summer, bringing in Lisandro Martinez from former club Ajax and Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia from Feyenoord as well as free agent Christian Eriksen.
However, any further deals have been held up by United’s pursuit of Frenkie de Jong, with the Dutch midfielder reluctant to join the club despite Barcelona accepting a €85 million bid.
The prolonged nature of the De Jong deal has been the cause of frustration for United, including Neville, who described the club’s failure to finalise transfers as ‘an embarrassment’.
"I think every Manchester United fan is a little bit tired of us,” Neville said on the Sky Sport show ‘The Overlap’. “I said this about [Jadon] Sancho and it's the same now with De Jong.
“It gets to the point where a signing that should give excitement for the club becomes dragged on for too long, it drags on that long that, in the end, you actually lose excitement for the signing.
"It almost becomes a little bit of an embarrassment — and it's still happening. So, I'm really concerned about the fact that they can't get signings over the line still."
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Neville justified in his concern over United
Neville was also sceptical over the club’s desire to sign players from the Netherlands, particularly with a history of Eredivisie players struggling to adapt to the Premier League.
"Signings from the Dutch league, they can work but they're not as sure a fix as [some] other leagues in Europe. I'm a little bit concerned about the strategy,” Neville said.
"I'm also a little bit worried about their reliance upon the Dutch market, because it tells me that the club's strategy and the recruitment department, they wouldn't have been looking at Dutch players if it wasn't for the manager."
Neville has long been a vocal critic of United’s regime since retiring in 2011, however the former right-back has reason to be doubtful over the club’s transfer policy.
United have rarely had windows where their business was conducted in an efficient and timely manner, instead often persisting with unrealistic targets or wasting time with fruitless negotiations.
Ten Hag has been desperate to sign a forward since he arrived at the club but, despite targeting another Eredivisie recruit in Antony, United’s failure to make a move has seen Ajax claim the Brazilian is not for sale.
The club could also lose their top scorer from last season in Cristiano Ronaldo, meaning there is plenty of work to be done before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.
