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6 months ago
46 Gary Neville has made a pretty damning observation after claiming Bruno Fernandes is the only high-profile signing to have lived up to expectations at Manchester United in the past ten years.
Although it has not been Fernandes’ best season at United, it goes without saying that he has a huge influence on the team – and we’re missing him now that he’s been ruled out of action with an injury.
We must add that it has been an incredibly frustrating season for United. Most players have underperformed in a squad heavily hit by injuries.
As a result, United sit eighth in the Premier League as we head into the final week of the season.
The Reds run the risk of missing out on European football entirely.
This only puts Erik ten Hag’s future in futher down. However, Gary Neville has gone on record saying he thinks United should back the manager beyond this season and give him a third campaign in the hot seat.
Speaking of underperforming players, Casemiro was subject to criticism after Monday night’s 4-0 defeat against Crystal Palace. Neville opted against singling out the Brazilian, instead pointing to a long-term pattern of players struggling to produce their best after arriving at Old Trafford.
“I think over the last 10 years, there’s only be one player that United have signed that I think has actually lived up to expectations, or achieved what he has previous, and that’s Bruno Fernandes,” Neville told The Overlap.
“All the other big signings, whether it’s [Angel] Di Maria, [Bastian] Schweinsteiger, [Radamel] Falcao. Whether it’s [Paul] Pogba, whether it’s [Harry] Maguire, [Mason] Mount this season, [Raphael] Varane, every player.”
This conversation was spurred on by Jadon Sancho’s impressive form at Borussia Dortmund, with the winger playing his part in the German side reaching the Champions League final. They will take on Real Madrid at Wembley later this month.
Sancho returned to Dortmund on a temporary deal in the summer, having fallen out of favour under Ten Hag earlier this season. He had been frozen out and United were left with no other choice but to organise a move for the second half of the season.
“Jadon Sancho, he was awful at United, he was awful. Let’s be clear,” Neville said.
“His performance levels, his confidence, his belief. He goes to a different team, and all of a sudden, you start to see a player, where you think, ‘How has that happened, why is that happening time and time again?’
“Players with great reputations come into Old Trafford and they just don’t work. And they come back out, and they’re normal again. It’s probably happened for 10 years.”
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