Gary Neville has claimed that one of Manchester United’s best players so far this season should be doing a lot better than his current form.
Manchester United have played ten Premier League fixtures this season, and despite poor moments, are firmly in the running for European spots.
Rúben Amorim has made it clear that the club aims to return to European football this season, which would mean finishing in one of the top six spots. Despite sitting eighth in the league standings, they are just two points behind Manchester City in second and level on points with Tottenham in sixth.
United have won five of their fixtures this season, drawing two and losing three, but amid almost every league side except Arsenal producing inconsistent displays, there is still a lot to be gained in the season.
Amorim’s side has put in some fantastic performances mixed in with inconsistent individual errors, which also leaves plenty of room for improvement.
Neville nervous about United’s spine
Former United captain Gary Neville is a very outspoken ex-player when it comes to the happenings at Old Trafford. Speaking on The Overlap Cricket, the 50-year-old admitted he is worried about the spine in Amorim’s team.
“I think your spine of a football team is critical. When I first came into Man United, our spine was [Peter] Schmeichel, [Steve] Bruce, [Gary] Pallister, [Roy] Keane and [Eric] Cantona and so we were all scattered around it,” he said.
“We literally were able to be cushioned by this unbelievably strong spine that delivered reliably every single week.”
Neville went a step further to state that he feels Harry Maguire, United’s fourth-choice centre-back, and Matthijs de Ligt, who has played 90 minutes of every league game this season, should be doing better than they are.
He continued, “I think Maguire and De Ligt should be doing a lot better than they are. You know, you look at the experience that those two have got.
“De Ligt’s played a mountain of games at sort of different levels, the highest level. Harry’s played so many times for England. You’ve got the midfield, Casemiro and Bruno [Fernandes] have got massive experience.
“Up front, they haven’t got the experience. But to me, that spine of Bruno Fernandes, Casemiro, Maguire and De Ligt is ageing, but should be doing a lot better at holding it all together than they do.
“That’s why I think Liverpool are good because they’ve got Alisson, [Virgil] van Dijk, they’ve got [Alexis] Mac Allister and [Ryan] Gravenberch in midfield, and then they’ve got obviously the centre-forwards that they’ve got.”
Neville’s assessment of De Ligt is far from true
Yes, it is an entirely fair point to state that some in the squad should be doing better – individual errors and poor team cohesion at times have let Amorim down.
However, De Ligt is not the right player to ask to do more, as he has undoubtedly been the club’s player of the season so far, with Bryan Mbeumo being the only other player who can really be considered in the argument.
When United signed the Dutchman for £35 million in 2024, his injury record was a significant blemish on his CV. But, having played every single minute of United’s league campaign this season, his conditioning and growing abilities in Red are undeniable.
The 26-year-old’s only negative display this season has been during the 3-1 loss against Brentford, where he was being used as a right centre-back, with Keith Andrews’ men targeting over-the-top through balls to cause havoc.
Beyond this, Neville should not be using De Ligt as an example of a player who “should be doing a lot better than they are,” as he has been a shining light in what has been a mixed defensive side.
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