No holding back
Gary Neville says it is due to “poor management” by Manchester United that David De Gea is now in a situation where he is seeking a move away from the club in the final year of his contract.
Louis van Gaal claimed that De Gea turned down the chance to play for United against Spurs last weekend as he wants to leave Old Trafford for Real Madrid, but reports from the De Gea camp suggest that claim is not accurate.
Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of Friday night’s clash against Aston Villa at Villa Park, Neville revealed his thoughts on a situation he describes as “a real mess” and he didn’t hold back in his criticism of the club he used to play for.
While much of Neville’s anger was directed at the higher level of management at the club who failed to secure De Gea’s signature on a new contract at any stage over the past two or three seasons, current manager Louis van Gaal is not absolved from blame in Neville’s view.
“I think it is a distraction,” Neville said. “As much as United fans, Louis van Gaal and the club might be disappointed with De Gea’s saying he doesn’t want to play, I don’t know if that’s true.
“But this has been badly managed by Manchester United, make no mistake about that. To allow a player of his quality not to extend a couple of years ago. He had those couple of dodgy seasons at the start when he was a young, inexperienced goalkeeper adapting to a new country, but under David Moyes he showed real promise and should have been snapped up [to a new contract].
“The question has to be asked why wasn’t [his contract] extended in that period? To allow his contract to get to this situation is poor management. And now United are paying for it.
“I think Valdes arriving last season might have unsettled him further. Now he’s biting back a bit. It’s a messy situation. No one will win out of it and it needs resolving before it rumbles on further.”
