MY ACCOUNT
Gary Neville is keen for Manchester United to have a new home, telling prospective bidders to modernise the club.
The Glazer family’s tenure in charge at Old Trafford could be nearing a conclusion, having announced in November that they were exploring options for a sale.
Last week saw visits to the club from Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani’s delegation and Jim Ratcliffe, both of whom are the running for a potential takeover – though there could be as many as eight bidders.
Former United captain Neville is keen for whoever takes charge to invest significantly in the club’s infrastructure, including the construction of a new stadium.
“I think we’ve got to make sure that whoever the new owners are in the next few months, that they harness what the club’s history is about, and also take Manchester United forward into a modern era,” he told ITV News.
“You look back at the past in terms of what we are and what we should be, but also I think we need to be a modern football club, with a new stadium, a new infrastructure.
“The training ground needs to be brought up to speed and the sporting project needs to be world class.
“And there needs to be that feeling among the fans again, that everyone’s aligned on the same page – they haven’t had that for the last eight-to-10-years.”
While United are perceived to have fallen behind to their rivals off the field, significant gains have been made under the stewardship of Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch boss guided United to League Cup glory in February, the club’s first trophy since 2017, with further honours up for grabs with the campaign in the FA Cup and Europa League continuing.
Those improvements have impressed Neville, who added: “I think the thing about Manchester United for me is that the football can never be boring.
“You always have to go to a game feeling that you’re going to see something exciting.
“The lads that wear those shirts out on the pitch, they have to look like they’re engaged and they’ve got a spirit and they want to be here.
“You think about how bad it was at the end of last season to what it is now – a huge turnaround.”
