Former Manchester United captain and Class of 1992 graduate Gary Neville believes that United and Chelsea have little chance of winning the Premier League title whilst Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola manager both Liverpool and Manchester City respectively. Both Liverpool and City have dominated the Premier League over the last three years with City winning the league twice and Liverpool winning their first Premier League title last season. Both United and Chelsea are aiming to close the gap on the two clubs.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Frank Lampard both saw their clubs finish third and fourth respectively last season and so far this summer, Lampard has had the best transfer window in signing Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, and Kai Havertz whilst United have signed just Donny van de Beek this summer and have been linked with numerous players which nothing of note happening with three weeks of the transfer window remaining. Speaking to The Mirror, Neville said:
“The one thing I can guarantee you is that United will win again. That might not be this year or next year, but it will be amazing when they win again, and the longer it builds up, the greater the actual feeling is when you do it.
“It will be, maybe, when Klopp and Guardiola leave Liverpool and City – hopefully in the next couple of years! That will be the chance, as they’re two outstanding managers who have built really good teams, but they’ll leave in the next one, two or three years.
“That will be the point when United can come back in and capitalise – I’m sure Chelsea are thinking that way as well.”
Neville has a point in what he says but it will be up to United to play catch up with all three clubs now and those that finished below them in the league last season will be seeking to do a lot better too. United will know what Solskjaer needs to get United firing in the right direction this summer, but there seems to be an inability to land the signings that the club should be going for and more desire to keep saving money, which is what the Glazers have been doing at the club for years now.
United have a big rebuilding plan and have a manager that has sent the club in the right direction for the first time post-Sir Alex Ferguson, whicbis something that David Moyes, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho all failed to do. Granted, the coronavirus pandemic has caused a financial problem for United this summer, but that should not be used an an excuse not to provide players for the manager to better his squad. United qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League this season and will be looking to take on the biggest teams in Europe.
However, that may be where much bigger problems lie as United have a good starting XI, which has been strengthened by the signing of Van de Beek this summer, but United could really do with a minimum of three more signings with a left-back, central defender and a right-winger the positions that need to be fortified this summer. United have been linked with Jadon Sancho this summer, but had a deadline to sign the England winger, which expired more than a month ago now with the player making his first appearances for Borussia Dortmund in the DFB-Pokal on Monday evening.
Written by John Walker
