Gary Neville has named the five areas that Manchester United must improve this summer to close the gap with champion Liverpool.
Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s men secured qualification for the Champions League on the last day with a victory over Leicester City, but they will have a slightly higher view next season.
However, if they want to significantly improve this season’s efforts, the United Neville legend believes that Solskjaer has some shopping to do and in five areas in particular.
“You need to spend, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, and that’s not reckless, you have to spend the right way,” he said on his Sky Sports podcast.
“There must be a right winger, there must be a challenge for the center forward, there must be a left winger.”
“There must be a challenge for the goalkeeper and they need a center back.”
“They need a central superior who can bring that level of dominance to the defense as Van Dijk does for Liverpool as Kompany did for Man City.”
Explaining why a center-back will be so crucial to United’s hopes of challenging next season, Neville added: “You look at all the teams that win titles and have a dominant center back and a great goalkeeper.”
“Alisson, (Virgil) van Dijk, (Vincent) Kompany and Ederson, John Terry in Chelsea, Jaap Stam and Steve Bruce, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams.
“They all have great centers and great goalkeepers and Manchester United needs those things.”
“I think Harry Maguire has had a good season but he needs a partner.”
“That is not fair to (Victor) Lindelof because he also needs a partner.”
“They are both good defenders, but I think Manchester United also needs a center back.”
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