Gary Neville has claimed that one former Manchester United figure “scared” the Glazers to “death” after his damning assessment of the Premier League club.
The Glazers have been divisive figures at United since their controversial takeover in 2005, with the likes of Neville often criticising them over their handling of the club.
The United owners’ takeover loaded the club with debt and the Glazers have been slammed for not investing in much-needed infrastructure at the Red Devils.
Longstanding Red Devils fans have voiced their fierce opposition to the Glazers’ ownership, as United have been long overdue for an improvement to Old Trafford.
The Glazers’ control of football operations at the Premier League has shifted recently after Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe secured his 25 per cent stake in United.
The Glazers were heavily criticised for not modernising the football department and bringing in key strategic roles like a sporting director to oversee transfers at United.
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Neville on figure who scared United
Speaking on The Overlap, Neville shared his two cents on his time at United and admitted that one thing would have been impossible for him to do in his career.
The Sky Sports pundit also opened up on Sir Alex Ferguson and how the legendary former United manager enlisted his services in trying to sign one player.
Neville knew all too well the influence that Ferguson had at Old Trafford and his management over transfers, despite the Glazers’ ownership of the club.
Ralf Rangnick arrived as interim manager at United after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked and was set to take up a consultancy role at the end of his spell.
The 65-year-old former United interim boss was brutal in his assessment of the club and claimed that the Red Devils were in need of open-heart surgery.
Rangnick left Old Trafford after Erik ten Hag arrived and went on to become the Austria manager, with the German not taking up his planned consultancy role.
Speaking on the Stick to Football show, Neville said: “Well, the one guy at United who came in and who said… well, they brought in Ralf Rangnick as a sporting director. They did.
“They brought him as a sporting director, but he was just managing the team for a few months and he was gonna get a sporting director’s job at the end of the season.
“And he said that it needed open-heart surgery and he wanted to get rid of like 10 or 12 of them out of the club, didn’t he, and just rip all of it.
“They got rid of him because that scared them to death. You know what I mean? If you look at what he said, it was probably to be fair the most [of it]…”
Roy Keane talks David Moyes’ struggles
Roy Keane interjected in Neville’s assessment and pointed out the struggles that David Moyes had at United after the ex-Everton boss succeeded Ferguson.
“Listen to David Moyes. When David Moyes went in, David Moyes said the amount of players that he was after that they never got done, the deals that can’t get them done,” he said.
“I think David Moyes was almost beaten before he started because remember the big transfers, his first summer, they couldn’t get deals and at the last minute I think they got [Marouane] Fellaini from Everton.
“And almost from that it was like, ‘Is that it?’”
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