Gary Neville has launched an attack on Manchester United’s transfer policy this summer, claiming the club lacks control and that they’ve overpaid for some of their summer signings.
Neville also criticised the club’s decision of parting way with Danny Welbeck, a choice that Neville said he was struggling to understand, while the former United right-back insisted the £150m United have splurged this summer were the result of poor strategy and overpaying players.
“It’s not the way I would expect United to go about their business; I always expected it to be a lot more controlled,” Neville, told TalkSport.
The former United right-back said he was struggling to understand United’s decision to let Danny Welbeck go.
“I thought the Danny Welbeck sale was a strange one. I can’t work it out. After all the prices I’ve seen paid this summer and, obviously I’ve been working with him the last week, I’m thinking: ‘How is it just £16m?’ said the former United captain.
“There’s been right-backs and left-backs galore who have been bought for £15m, £14m, £13m this summer. How have they got him for £16m? I can’t work it out to this day. It really does feel strange that it’s a centre-forward and actually it’s helped out a competitor, someone who will be vying for those third and fourth places with United this season. I’m struggling to understand the logic behind the deal in two or three ways really.”
Neville said that not only did United do the wrong thing by selling Welbeck, but they’ve also overpaid for some of the players they’ve signed this summer, even though he claimed to be excited by the prospect of watching Radamel Falcao.
“The fans were asking big questions a month ago and now the Falcao one just tipped them over the edge. Di María was a big signing but the Falcao one came completely out of left field and surprised and shocked everybody,” he said.
“How they get Rooney, Di María, RVP [Van Persie], Falcao, Herrera, Januzaj and Mata into that team I don’t know.
“In one sense I am excited because they have signed world-class players. People jumped on the bandwagon last year and said they wouldn’t attract players. But they have a massive commercial operation. They have overpaid, there is no doubt about that, but they have proven people will still go there.
“Now Louis van Gaal has to mould them into the team. He asked for three months but I doubt he expected to see what’s happened at the start of the season. Pre-season probably lulled him into a false sense of security. They have to get the performances right.”
