Gary Neville says six Manchester United players would be ‘outstanding’ if they played under Sir Alex Ferguson

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Gary Neville has picked out some current Manchester United players who would shine if they played under Sir Alex Ferguson.

Speaking on the Diary of a CEO podcast, Neville was trying to make the point that the current crop are not all bad players with a poor attitude.

He said that if some of Erik ten Hag’s squad played under Fergie and had some experienced, quality players around them, they would deliver the goods.

Neville named six players, who, if blended with five famous United names of days gone by, and working under Ferguson, would do well.

Gary Neville names Martial among players who would shine under Ferguson

Neville said: “I do feel sorry for the current players and that won’t go down well with a lot of Manchester United fans. A lot of Manchester United fans say they are overpaid and they are chancing it and bluffing it. They’re not. I know some of those lads, they’re good lads.

“If they were sat here now, you’d be thinking there’s an element of vulnerability there. There is a lack of confidence. They’re crying out for help. I wish they had Sir Alex and Roy Keane in the changing room. I wish they had Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Peter Schmeichel in goal because if they did, they would thrive. They would deliver.

“If the Manchester United team today was David de Gea in goal, Patrice Evra at left-back, Harry Maguire at centre-back with Varane, me at right-back; in midfield there was Roy Keane and Michael Carrick.

“On the left was Marcus Rashford, on the right was Jadon Sancho, up front was Martial and Rooney or Hughes. Those same six players that we’re currently saying are not good enough to play for United would be outstanding if Sir Alex Ferguson was the manager, if the culture was still there.”

Some United fans will say that most of the current squad are below the required standard, and that none of them are standing out even in abject performances.

Neville is trying to say that the conditions created by the malaise around the club are dragging the players down, making them feel they cannot play at their best.

He did not even name Bruno Fernandes or Cristiano Ronaldo as players who could get into this hybrid team.

But there are no solid, experienced, dependable presences in the United side to weather the storms and drag their teammates through bad times at present.