Gary Neville has delivered a harsh assessment of Manchester United.
“Neville has boldly predicted that the Red Devils will finish outside the top five in the Premier League (PL) at the end of the 2023-24 season,” Goal.com reported on Monday. In other words, Neville believes that the Red Devils will miss out on the UEFA Champions League (UCL) next season.
United had a successful season last season. Despite some early-season struggles, Van Gaal made some proactive changes and implemented his brand of football. Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial, and others played a fast attacking game and it worked.
In the end, United finished third in the league and qualified for the UCL. In the FA Cup, they made it all the way to the final, albeit losing to Manchester City. In the English Football League Cup (EFL Cup), they defeated Newcastle United to lift the trophy for the first time in six years.
This summer, we also added some much-needed reinforcements. We let go of David de Gea, who was less reliable at the back, and brought in Andre Onana, whose strength is in the buildup. We added Rasmus Hojlund to fill the striker position, which was a concern last season. They even brought in Mason Mount to add some creativity to the attack.
However, the team hasn’t performed as expected. The loss of key players like Luke Shaw and Raphael Varane to injury has been painful. It’s also been noisy off the field. Jadon Sancho took to social media to protest against Van Gaal, while Anthony was embroiled in an assault controversy with his ex-girlfriend. United have removed Sancho from the first-team squad, while Anthony will remain on the sidelines until a deal is finalized.
United have been disappointing on the pitch. They haven’t created many threats in attack and have been shaky in defense. United’s current form is not good. With four wins and four losses, they are in 10th place in the league. In the UCL, they are at the bottom of UCL Group A after back-to-back losses to Bayern Munich and Galatasaray.
United legend Neville said that United’s performance this season will not be good. While United are struggling, their rivals are cruising. Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are both unbeaten with six wins and 토토 two draws, and Manchester City is still in third place despite losing two straight league games recently. Liverpool is also showing signs of life. Even Aston Villa and Brighton, last season’s breakout teams, are in good shape early on. If they continue their current form, a UCL spot looks unlikely.
For Neville, the current state of affairs at United is frustrating enough. Neville made his professional debut for the Red Devils after coming through the United youth ranks. He started his career as a substitute, but from the 94-95 season onwards, he gained more playing time and established himself. Neville spent his entire career at United and retired in 2011. Neville won many trophies with United. He won the Premier League (PL) nine times, the FA Cup three times, and the UCL twice.
