Club legend Gary Neville believes that Manchester United must offload around eight to ten players if they hope to compete for a top-four spot next season.

The storied legacy of Manchester United is currently shrouded in a cloud of disappointment and underperformance, as the 2024-25 domestic campaign has proven to be a season that the Old Trafford faithful would rather forget. Despite the lingering possibility of securing a coveted Champions League qualification through an unlikely triumph in the Europa League final, club legend and renowned pundit Gary Neville has delivered a stark assessment of the club’s current predicament. In his typically forthright manner, Neville argues that a significant and potentially painful overhaul of the playing squad is an absolute necessity if Manchester United harbor any realistic ambitions of competing for a top-four spot in the Premier League next season. This overhaul, according to Neville, will necessitate the departure of a substantial number of players, potentially ranging from eight to ten individuals.

The current Premier League standings paint a grim picture for the Red Devils, who find themselves languishing in a lowly 16th position. The mid-season change in management, which saw Erik ten Hag replaced by Ruben Amorim, has thus far failed to ignite a significant turnaround in the team’s fortunes. Interestingly, Tottenham Hotspur, another traditional powerhouse currently enduring a similarly underwhelming season, sit just below United in 17th place, offering a rare and somewhat ironic silver lining to the Old Trafford gloom.

The upcoming Europa League final presents a tantalizing, albeit precarious, avenue for one of these two struggling English giants to secure a coveted Champions League berth for the following season. However, Gary Neville’s analysis extends beyond the immediate prospect of European qualification. He firmly believes that Manchester United’s success in the long term, particularly their ability to consistently compete at the top end of the Premier League table next season, hinges not solely on the quality of new signings they manage to attract during the summer transfer window, but perhaps more critically, on the decisive and potentially ruthless decisions regarding which current players must be allowed to depart the club.

Neville did not mince his words when dissecting the club’s recent recruitment strategy, labeling it as “abhorrent” and a significant contributing factor to their current malaise. He specifically highlighted several high-profile players, including Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Antony, and Casemiro, as individuals who could potentially be on their way out of Old Trafford as part of the necessary clear-out. However, Neville astutely pointed out that the significant wages commanded by these players could pose a considerable complication to any potential transfer negotiations, potentially deterring potential suitors or requiring Manchester United to shoulder a portion of their salaries to facilitate a move. According to Neville’s assessment, “three or four players will naturally leave when their current contracts expire,” providing an initial step towards the desired squad reduction. However, he further suggested that the club may have to resort to the financially challenging option of paying off the contracts of another five or six players simply to move them on and create the necessary space for new arrivals. As a stark example, Neville highlighted the possibility of Manchester United being left to cover as much as half of Marcus Rashford’s reported weekly salary of £180,000 just to facilitate his departure.

Adding to the complexity of Manchester United’s rebuilding efforts are significant questions surrounding their ability to attract high-quality signings in the current climate. The club’s poor on-field form and their declining appeal to top-tier players could make it challenging to convince elite talent to join their ranks. Furthermore, the financial restrictions imposed by the Premier League’s Profitability and Sustainability Rules (PSR), coupled with the widely reported cost-cutting plans being implemented by new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe, further reduce the likelihood of Manchester United being able to offer the kind of lucrative deals that might typically entice top players to Old Trafford. This confluence of factors presents a significant hurdle for the club as they attempt to revitalize their squad.

Neville also expressed his deep disappointment with the club’s track record in developing and improving players who have joined Manchester United in recent years. He lamented the fact that, with the notable exception of Bruno Fernandes, the vast majority of signings over the past decade have seemingly regressed rather than progressed during their time at Old Trafford. Neville starkly described the club as having become “a graveyard for signings,” a damning indictment of their recruitment and player development processes over the past decade. This lack of player improvement further underscores the urgent need for a significant shift in the club’s approach to both identifying and nurturing talent.

Despite the overwhelming negativity surrounding their domestic campaign, the upcoming Europa League final offers a glimmer of potential redemption for Manchester United. The club’s focus is undoubtedly firmly fixed on this crucial European encounter, particularly given the equally precarious situation of their opponents, Tottenham Hotspur. Interestingly, Tottenham currently occupy the very bottom position in the Premier League form table, sitting just below Manchester United only by virtue of a slightly inferior goal difference. This peculiar circumstance highlights the struggles that both traditional powerhouses have endured this season, adding an extra layer of unpredictability to their upcoming European final showdown. The outcome of that match could provide a temporary reprieve, but Gary Neville’s stark warning emphasizes that a far more comprehensive and potentially painful restructuring of the playing squad is essential for Manchester United to truly compete at the top level in the seasons to come.