'Crazy' - Gary Neville slams £70m Man Utd transfer deal and makes long-term strategy claim

Gary Neville believes the signing of Casemiro would 'never have gone through' if Manchester United had the correct recruitment setup.

Casemiro was one of two marquee arrivals during Erik ten Hag's first transfer window at United in the summer of 2022. Central midfield was a priority for the Dutchman and after failing to land Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, he sanctioned a deal worth £70million to sign the veteran midfielder from Real Madrid.

Despite being 30-years-old at the time, Casemiro penned a four-year contract at United but there are already doubts about his longevity, with two-and-a-half years remaining on the deal. Neville expressed initial concern back in 2022 and has stood by his opinion that a well-run club would not have gone through with it.

“I am coming at it from an owner's perspective," Neville told The Overlap." You employ a head of recruitment who you think is the best guy out there at spotting players and talent who will bring value to the club. You have a sporting director who will be thinking the same way. Their loyalty is to the club. But also a loyalty to win games, so we are aligned.

“A manager’s job is to purely think about the immediate short-term and getting results for themselves, i.e. Casemiro as an example. Perfect example of a short-term signing that’s going to cost in the long-term.

“That signing should never have gone through a good sporting director, owner or head of recruitment. That should never have gone through that signing, in my opinion. That should be vetoed. Bang! He doesn’t fit the long-term. The wages are crazy and the length of the contract is crazy.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe once described United as 'the dumb money' when it came to transfers and he is already putting plans in place to improve their reputation, once his investment into the club is fully ratified. INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford is carrying out an audit of the club's structure and there will likely be some major changes.

Richard Arnold has already left his role as chief executive and sporting director John Murtough could soon follow. United are admirers of Newcastle's transfer chief Dan Ashworth, while the likes of Julian Ward, Michael Edwards and Paul Mitchell are also on the radar.