Manchester United have been told that they could do far worse than appointing Gary Neville as their new manager by a former TV host. He suggests that he is the only man who will restore them to their former glory – Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher responds with predictable derision.
If possible, it went from miserable to cruel when Ruben Amorim took over for Erik ten Hag at the beginning of November.
We are yet to see anything of Amorim’s now familiar 3-4-2-1 and speculation is already mounting that the United job may be too big for the 39-year-old, who declared a week ago that he had inherited the worst Manchester United squad of all time.
As a result, former Match of the Day host Des Lynam has put forward the astonishing idea that United should instead turn to Neville, claiming that he is the only person who understands the club and has what it takes to restore them to their former greatness, despite the fact that his former manager’s job was in 2016.
“A few years ago I suggested that the only man who could steer United back to their former glory was their captain Gary Neville.
“I put it forward to him and, stirring something of a nerve, Gary made it clear that his business interests and his understanding of Sky would take precedence over any thought of getting involved in football management again,” Lynam wrote for the Daily Telegraph.
He continued, “But here goes—Neville would still be the best man for the job. He has Manchester United blood running through his veins.
Carragher answers!
Lynam, who hosted Match of the Day between 1988 and 1999, went on to explain how sharp businessman Neville is, suggesting that he would have the conviction to keep minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe on his toes and question some of his more controversial decisions.
Lynam added, “He is deeply hurt by the club’s current predicament. He has a powerful personality and would be a strong presence in the dressing room.”
Usually, the proposal has seen Carragher respond exactly as you’d expect him to, by posting a series of laughing emojis alongside the original social media post.
In fact, the Liverpool icon has not hesitated in the past to mock Neville for his failed tenure as Valencia boss, which saw him sacked after just three months at the helm.
Neville has since returned to his role as a Sky Sports pundit, where he has now been for the past eight years and has earned a reputation as one of the best around.
Still, United will need an improvement under Amorim to keep the wolves from his door and divert attention from a team he has already questioned publicly.
In fact, Thursday’s late 2-1 win over Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday has seen them labelled as “terrible” and barely even good enough to win the Scottish Premier League.
