Gary Neville slams 'complete negligence' of the Glazer family as Man Utd issues laid bare

Gary Neville believes 'complete negligence' from the Glazer family has filtered through the club and is the reason for recent signings not fulfilling their potential.

United's transfer hit rate in recent years has been woeful, with big money spent on promising players who are unable to perform for one reason or another. Erik ten Hag has spent more than £400m since arriving in 2022 but few of his signings can be classed as an undoubted success.

Equally concerning is the number of players who have left Old Trafford and improved at new clubs. It points to an issue away from those on the pitch and Neville has echoed previous points that it all starts at the top.

"There's definitely a capability issue about the players that have been signed but I think over the last 10 years there've been some really good players who have failed," Neville told Sky Sports after United drew 2-2 against Tottenham on Sunday. "I said recently that it’s become a graveyard. A lot of the players United signed were wanted by other clubs and United have paid more for them but they've come and not succeeded.

"Harry Maguire was wanted by Manchester City. You're not telling me that if Maguire went to Man City he'd be viewed like he is now. He’d be a success, playing 150/200 games, three or four titles under his belt. He chose to come to Manchester United.

"We need to move forward but if the owners of a business are rotten, it'll filter through the club. [The Glazers] have not been present for the last 10 years, leaving people in place that haven’t been capable of running the football side. They've been taking on some of the best outfits in Europe in the boardrooms without anyone being there. It's unbelievable. Its negligence, complete negligence."

Sir Jim Ratcliffe was at Old Trafford on Sunday and is expected to take control of footballing operations once his investment into the club is fully ratified. He has already sent INEOS director of sport Sir Dave Brailsford to Carrington to carry out an audit of the club's structure.

It is hoped a combination of Ratcliffe and Brailsford, helped by a number of new hires they are expected to make, can improve the fortunes of a United side who have been in decline for a decade.

"Over the last 10 years it’s deteriorated enormously," Neville added. "[Ralf] Rangnick said it needed open heart surgery, it certainly needs a defibrillator, it just needs a massive shock. His background isn't football but it's been in elite performance and he'll know that when he walks through the club and sees what's going on, it's not an elite environment.

"They've not even got resources in position, like a chief executive and sporting director and a prominent head of recruitment which other clubs have. There's a lot to do but it needs a shock and it has a far better chance with there being disruption in the boardroom because going forward as it was before, it would have been more of the same.

"Now they've come in and spent £1.25billion, as an experienced and successful businessman he's not going idly watch by, he's going to shock the system and for a lot of people they'll find it quite difficult."