Gary Neville picks Liverpool player for Man United who would “control” two problem players

Gary Neville has explained why he would sign Virgil van Dijk for Manchester United over Mohammed Salah at Old Trafford.

Manchester United and Liverpool are gearing up for another huge clash this weekend as Jurgen Klopp‘s side look to enact revenge for the FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford three weeks ago.

Amad Diallo crushed Merseyside hearts with his fantastic winning goal in the 120th minute and is now back from suspension following his red card during the tie.

Read More: Man United transfer target turns Erik ten Hag’s side into Premier League title challengers, says chairman

Ahead of the tie, United legend Gary Neville was asked to pick who he would sign for United if he could pick any Liverpool player, with the former defender choosing Virgil van Dijk over Mohammed Salah. Speaking on The Overlap, he said: “I would take Van Dijk.”

Asked why he’d go for the Dutch central defender over Salah, Neville explained: “I just think that Van Dijk would bring dominance to the team and a presence in the team that we haven’t got. We haven’t got a forward as good as Mo Salah, but we’ve got talented forwards.

“I always think if you’ve got a spine of strength and presence… We always say, don’t we, ‘Oh, there’s no Roy Keanes anymore, there’s no Vincent Kompanys anymore, there’s no John Terrys’ – there actually is one now at Liverpool, when you think about how he’s performed this season, Van Dijk. He’s a massive presence on that pitch.

“He’s not the same character as some of those that I’ve mentioned, but he actually is quite dominant on the pitch; he speaks a lot more than people might think, and he actually is someone you can see that’s got an aura about him.”

Speaking further, Neville explained that he feels the Dutch international would help control players within the squad, including Antony and Marcus Rashford, who some fans have highlighted as problem players due to their inconsistent form and effort.

“And I think that if you want to change Manchester United’s complete and utter culture, then they need that dominant person who holds them together. And I think Van Dijk would control [Kobbie] Mainoo, even someone like Antony or Rashford. I think he would build them, not break them.”

United and Liverpool will kick off at Old Trafford in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, but ahead of that, Ten Hag will take his men to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea.

United and Chelsea both sit outside the Champions League positions, and United will be chasing Tottenham, who are eight points ahead of them, with nine games remaining in the season.