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9 months ago
49 Gary Neville attacked three transfers made by Manchester United, saying they were instances of the team using Football Manager.
The former captain of United has consistently held the Glazers accountable for the club’s mismanagement and the current shortcomings at Old Trafford.
However, the Red Devils seem to be acquiring a real structure once more when INEOS billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe acquired a 25% stake.
With Omar Berrada joining from rival Manchester City as CEO, United are already taking steps off the field to return to its heyday.
Newcastle United’s sporting director Dan Ashworth could be the next big name to arrive at Old Trafford.
Neville feels that after a period in which he felt the club essentially played Football Manager when it came to acquisitions, United would eventually get it right.
He mentioned three well-known players—Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic—who highlighted the issues the team was having with recruiting.
“When you think for 10 years every Manchester United manager has operated without a CEO that’s actually been in a football club before, without a sporting director, without a head of recruitment. It’s madness, forget negligence, it’s just madness. It would never happen at any other club,” Neville told Sky Sports.
“The more I think about it, what the Glazers have done is show blind loyalty to people who have been really good to them over a long period of time at the club. Ed Woodward was at the club for 10-12 years before he became CEO, he was working on the commercial side. They’ve been very loyal to him and believed everything he said. I’m sure Ed believed in what he was doing as well.
“I said it probably 10 years ago, it was like they were playing Football Manager. “They can go and have a look at some of the best players in the world. [Angel] Di Maria, [Radamel] Falcao, [Zlatan] Ibrahimovic and they played Football Manager with the club for 10 years without having serious people operating the club, which other clubs have. It’s unbelievable.”
This week, INEOS’s 25% ownership in United is expected to be verified, and a formal bid for Ashworth has been made. The former FA director of elite development has been placed on gardening leave after requesting his release, according to Newcastle.
With big names joining the club to look after the recruitment and the big decisions of the club, it is highly unlikely that United will repeat the same mistakes they made under Ed Woodward and the Glazers.
United have identified talented young players as their summer targets instead of expensive big names who have failed to make an impact at Old Trafford in recent years.
Players like Jarrad Branthwaite, Michael Olise and Frenkie de Jong are being eyed by the United hierarchy.

