Gary Neville Claims Manchester United ‘Need 5 or 6 Signings’ After Difficult Start to Season

​Manchester United must make ‘five or six signings’ to reinvigorate their squad, according to former Red Devils right-back Gary Neville.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team have been hampered by injuries during the 2019/20 campaign, exposing what Neville believes to be a worrying lack of depth. In the summer, they bought winger Daniel James, central-defender Harry Maguire and full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka for a combined total of roughly £150m.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Despite the club’s spending, Solskjaer has been forced to call upon several academy products to provide cover. Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams have each received ample game-time, and both scored in Sunday’s 3-3 draw at ​Sheffield United.

Speaking on Sky Sports after the ​Red Devils clash with the Blades, Neville stated, as quoted by the ​Manchester Evening News: “The midfield’s just a problem for United full stop. Let’s be clear about it. Even with Scott McTominay in, it it’s a problem. They haven’t strengthened in that area. Obviously, [Paul] Pogba’s injured. It’s a problem for them and it’s just not good enough, the midfield just doesn’t have good enough quality. 

“They need a striker, they need two midfield players, they need a left-back – they need five or six signings. 

Paul Pogba

“They can’t do that until January and obviously the summer, but the midfield will not go away as a problem for Manchester United just because of an injury. It’s a problem full stop – it needs strengthening.”

The Red Devils are currently ninth in the ​Premier League table, and the single point picked up at Bramall Lane means they are nine-points behind fourth-place ​Chelsea.

However, they have begun to rise out of their slump in recent months, having gone 12 games without scoring more than once in a match. Their change in fortunes can partly be attributed to the form of the youngsters.

Greenwood has made ten top-flight appearances this year, with fellow teenager Williams and 22-year-old Axel Tuanzebe playing in four games apiece. The former has been heavily involved for for the first-team, scoring five goals in all competitions.


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