Gary Neville has sympathized with the situation current Manchester United players find themselves in and says even the ‘Class of 92’ would have struggled with the ‘cultural toxicity’ that exists at the club.
United were humiliated 3-0 by local rivals Man City in the Manchester derby, leaving Erik ten Hag’s side with five defeats from their first 10 Premier League games and 11 points behind the top conference. It is also the highest number of defeats United have suffered in the first ten games of a league campaign since 1986.
Speaking about the Gary Neville podcastAccording to the Sky Sports expert, the environment the Glazer family has created means that every player at the club is ‘set up for failure’ – even the successful group of young players that Neville was part of in the early 1990s.
“These are not bad lads in this dressing room, but there is a real sense of low morale at the club,” Neville said of the current United squad.
“If we (the Class of 92) had joined the club at this time in this environment, we would not be successful.
“No matter how talented the group I came with – Ryan Giggs, David Beckham, Paul Scholes – if they were put in this environment today they would be doomed to failure. So I don’t blame these players anymore.
“I’ve always said that if the children misbehave for years and are poorly disciplined, you eventually think: ‘It has to come from the top.’
“In the last ten minutes I hated what I saw on the pitch. Marcus Rashford, a fantastic player, looks like he’s sulking on the way out. Antony is sitting there on the bench shaking his head.”
“Bruno Fernandes is the captain walking around and you know what he’s going to do in the last ten minutes. It’s almost like you can read it like a book: he gets a yellow card, whines, kicks someone. It’s all for show. ” there’s nothing about that.
“He is a hugely talented player, he is the best player at Manchester United, with goals and assists written all over him. And he deserves to play in a great team and a fantastic team.”
“Erik ten Hag is a fantastic coach, we know that, we cannot dispute that. Jose Mourinho is a fantastic coach, we cannot dispute that. What we have to dispute is why they continue to fail at this football club.” that question.
“It’s not because of one player, or because of his (management) qualities. They can all take responsibility, the medicine and say: ‘I didn’t achieve what I wanted to achieve’. But it’s about cultural failure, and that’s it .”
‘Man Utd are now a graveyard for players’
Neville believes that if the ‘cultural toxicity’ at Old Trafford among the Glazers continues, Ten Hag risks the same fate as his sacked predecessors.
“Another manager will have even more problems. I don’t think Ten Hag had a great day today. Ultimately, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Jose Mourinho and Louis van Gaal had a lot of bad days,” Neville said.
“Every manager who comes to Manchester United at some point starts to think they are the problem. We start to think the players have been bought for £50 million, £60 million, £70 million, even though other clubs want them players do, by the way.” on the way in and they chose Manchester United out of a better deal – and it ends up being a graveyard for them.
“There’s a cultural thread of negativity and toxicity running through this club that isn’t going away. And this team struggled (in their wins) against Brentford, Copenhagen and Sheffield United. This week might fool you a bit, but it doesn’t take into account those who have been here for ten years.
“I don’t know how it’s going to end. Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham, Aston Villa, they’re all pretty well managed now, from top to bottom. Manchester United is not a well-managed football club and the owners are the problem.” .”
Ratcliffe proposals create uncertainty
Neville also believes the uncertainty surrounding Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s involvement at United is also an issue at United.
As part of the £1.3 billion deal for a quarter of the Premier League club, Ratcliffe’s deal for a minority stake would give him control over the football operations at Old Trafford.
Ratcliffe is proposing a new Manchester United football committee, consisting of himself, Joel Glazer and Sir Dave Brailsford, if his deal to take over 25 percent of the club is approved.
“Imagine the football department at Manchester United being told that someone is coming and taking over with Sir Dave Brailsford,” Neville added.
“Imagine what all those people in that football department think that they are all insecure. And we need Daniel Radcliffe, not Jim Ratcliffe!”