Manchester United have rediscovered their “direction” under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, says Phil Neville, with the club urged to stick with their current transfer philosophy and steer clear of “Galacticos”.
The Red Devils are forever in the market for the finest talent on the planet and have continued to invest heavily in recent windows.
Solskjaer has, however, overseen a shift in focus, with United once again placing greater emphasis on home-grown stars and players with potential.
That approach has served them well, with the likes of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes settling quickly in new surroundings, and there remains the promise of more to come.
Neville is encouraged by the progress being made at Old Trafford, with the six-time Premier League champion expecting Solskjaer to be given the time he needs to get United back on track.
The former Red Devils star told the club’s official website: “I love what’s going on. I know there was a little bit of negativity and stuff, but I remember watching a game – I think it was Aston Villa, 2-2 – and I came away and I just saw a different type of football. Faster, more energy, and more forward-thinking. It was actually good to watch.
“I spoke to Ole – I drop him a text every now and then – and just ‘keep going, I think the fans are actually liking what they’re seeing’.
“Regardless of Ole being a legend of the club, the signings in the summer were young, adventurous, they gave the club a little bit of energy, and I think you can see the direction now that the club is going in. I think we’ve not had that now for probably two or three years.
“He’s going to get time; he’s blooding all these young players. When I speak to United supporters outside the ground, I can see a genuine energy and a genuine feeling that regardless of the results or where we are in the table, I think they can see the pathway and the journey that we’re going now. It’s what we want to see as a Man United supporter, and we’re all Man United fans.
“I think we have to go away from the fact from signing these big galacticos and all that, and just sign good, young, hungry players that are going to come in and make this club better.”
Neville added on the change in policy: “You can’t change the philosophy or the history of the club. The whole club’s been successful in buying good, young, hungry players or producing good, young, hungry players.
“You look at Brandon [Williams] and Mason [Greenwood] that have come in this season… Jimmy Garner, who’s probably close. You’ve got so many young players coming through, and we’ve got a manager who wants to put them in and build teams round them.
“You go back to [Matt] Busby, you go back to all the great managers, and that’s what they’ve done. It’s not rocket science, and probably we went away from that with the previous two managers that we had.”
Ahead of the next transfer window, United are being linked with the likes of Harry Kane, Jadon Sancho, Jack Grealish and Jack Maddison – all England hopefuls who would tick home-grown and potential boxes despite the hefty price tags they carry.
Credit: Goal.com
