Manchester United do not have many success stories from their recruitment over the last decade.
Former club captain Gary Neville believes the club have only made one successful signing over the last 10 years.
United have struggled since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, with the club having hired six permanent managers in 11 years after Erik ten Hag was sacked on Monday.
Ruben Amorim has been appointed head coach and will be tasked with getting United back on track. A challenge that swallowed the men before him before spitting them back out.
The Reds have also spent a lot of money on players during that time with varying degrees of success.
Speaking about the challenges that will face Amorim when he takes charge of the first team, Neville claimed that getting the best out of the current squad may be his biggest.
“He has to get the best put of the players,” Neville told Sky Sports, as quoted by The Mirror. “The players need to take responsibility for what’s happened in the last 10 years. The club have signed a lot of players that other clubs wanted and when those players have arrived at Manchester United they’ve deteriorated.
“Why is that? It could be the coach, it could be the players, it could be the environment is too big for them, whatever it is it has to change because if he [Amorim] doesn’t change that he will fall the same way the rest of them have.”
Bruno Fernandes tops the list
Neville adds that Bruno Fernandes is the only United signing in recent years that has surpassed expectations at the club, but more so on an individual note because the team has not been competing for the biggest honours.
Fernandes joined United from Sporting in 2020 and has won the club’s player of the year award three points. Ten Hag made him club captain last season and stripping Harry Maguire of the armband.
The Portugal international has made over 150 goal contributions in almost 250 appearances across all competitions, including one against Chelsea on Sunday.
“Only really Bruno I can think of in 10 years has signed for the club and done more than I thought he would,” he said. “I can’t think of any other player. That’s £1.8bn spent in the last 10 years, that’s one thing that has to change.”
