Gary Neville says Manchester United need to sign at least two top central midfielders in the summer transfer window, and has outlined the players his former club are demanding.
United cemented their place in third place with a 3-1 win at Aston Villa on Sunday and moved a step closer to qualifying for the Champions League, but Neville warned they needed reinforcements to cope with a tougher fixture schedule.
Manager Michael Carrick has relied on the midfield pairing of Coby Mainu and Casemiro, but the Brazilian is set to leave at the end of the season, leaving the current squad with few replacement options.
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“The center of midfield is the problem,” Neville said on the Sky Sports podcast. “Coby Mainu and Casemiro are doing a great job for Michael Carrick at the moment.
“But every Manchester United fan in this stadium knows that it won’t be enough when we start playing in the Champions League next season.
“There is a very good chance they will (qualify) and when they play a little more in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup and play in the Champions League, they will need three or four really good midfield players.
“At the moment we have a midfield player in Mainu, but looking at the other players I don’t think it will work out.
“Casemiro is leaving, Manuel Ugarte is leaving as well. They need two really good midfield players. One is probably a more positional player, like Michael Carrick, and the other is a disruptor.”
“We need to look at the back, but the real focus in the summer transfer window will be midfield.”
Midfield is the priority, but who will Man United sign?
Elliott Anderson targeted by Manchester United
United’s priority this summer transfer window is to sign at least one, and possibly two, top central midfielders.
Nottingham Forest’s Elliott Anderson, Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, Brighton’s Carlos Baleva and Wolves’ Joao Gomez are on the shortlist.
United are also keeping an eye on young prospects such as Lille’s Ayyoub Bouadi and Olympiakos’ Christos Mousakitis.
Will they be able to rebuild their defense in the summer?
Harry Maguire’s contract expires in the summer
United prioritized strengthening their attack over the summer, spending more than £200m on Matheus Cunha, Brian Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesco, and midfield is clearly the next focus.
However, United’s defense is not without its problems. Matthijs de Ligt and Lisandro Martínez are consistent starters when they are fit, but injury problems continue to plague them.
Harry Maguire will also have to make a decision about his future as his contract expires this summer.
Neville believes these fitness concerns are an issue and doubts whether left-back Luke Shaw will be able to play week in and week out if United qualify for the Champions League.
“It might be a later summer (this summer) before they finally get a new centre-back because they are having problems.
“The problem with the centre-backs at the moment is that their two best centre-backs, with De Ligt and Martinez and Maguire, are not available on the pitch, without a doubt, and that’s a serious problem.”
“Shaw is playing every week and he’s more than good enough to be here every week. Let’s be clear, how long is that going to last? Can he do it next season, the season after that, the season after that?”
“If he can do it, Shaw is your left-back, which is fine, because I don’t think you can find a better left-back.
“(Dealing with the Champions League schedule) is a problem that comes every three days. United will need someone at left-back to cope without him.”
“If he played 55-60 games instead of 35-40, would he break down? And that’s a question that needs to be asked next season.
“There’s a question there, but it’s not about the quality of the left-back. It’s about his actual resilience and toughness when he plays every three or four days.”
Manchester United have the right to let ‘exceptional’ Casemiro leave
Casemiro and Koby Mainu are the only midfielders Manchester United rely on.
Neville said it was still right for United to let Casemiro go at the end of the season, despite the midfielder’s return this season.
“Manchester United obviously bought him late in his career. He’s an extraordinary central midfield player and he played in one of the most dominant midfields I’ve ever seen at Real Madrid,” said Gary Neville on the Gary Neville Podcast.
“But United were right to let him go and he was right to leave United. This is like a cameo at the end of his career. It’s like a swan song that he probably loved every minute of, and you can see that.”
“He’s kissing the badge to the fans. They love him dearly and it’s right for him to leave at the end of the season.”
“His legs let him down at times. What I’m saying is there was a period in the middle of his four-year contract when he looked heavier, but I don’t know what happened there.”
“I don’t know if it’s because of the training or something that happened to him or something else. But he looks healthier, he looks more toned, he looks freer and he’s doing a great job.”
