Aheed Abrar
Gary Neville slams Manchester United for panic-buying during the summer transfer window
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has slammed the club’s hierarchy for irrationally spending money during the summer transfer window. The former Red Devil is of the opinion that the management rushed into buying players when they were under pressure.
Erik ten Hag was afforded six fresh faces to his squad. Until the last days of the window, United had only brought in three players. The rest of the additions were made after our poor start to the season.
Speaking on the Overlap Fan Debate Xtra, in partnership with Sky Bet (h/t Manchester Evening News), Neville, who captained the Red Devils for five years, points out the failed Frenkie de Jong pursuit and believes the saga compelled the club to get the Casemiro and Antony deal over the line.
“Manchester United wanted to spend about £130m-£140m, they ended up spending £230m.
“Obviously we’ve seen it before with the Glazer family – loads of trouble, protests building, invest the money to try and appease the fans and basically panic-buy. The Casemiro and Antony bids came in two days before the Liverpool game, which was obviously a moment where they just needed to get players in.
“It wasn’t the strategy at the start of the summer to spend the money they’ve spent.”
United had signed Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez early in the summer. However, after a couple of bad results, the management seemed to go after targets in a haphazard manner.
Ten Hag’s era in the Old Trafford dugout did not go off to the best of starts. The Red Devils lost against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford.
United then got Casemiro from Real Madrid for big money and spent a huge penny on acquiring the services of Antony from Ajax. The Manchester-based club also got Martin Dubravka before the transfer deadline.
While the signings United have made were evidently necessary, the amount spent on getting the players has been a point of contention for some. Some supporters could argue that the club have paid over the top.
Since the loss against the Bees, United have turned things around in the Premier League. We have gone on a four-game win streak and now sit three points behind table toppers Arsenal.
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Most of the additions made during the summer have impressed so far. Hopefully, they can continue performing well.
