Gary Neville has advised incoming Manchester United manager Mauricio Pochettino to "protect himself" by demanding reinforcements in the January transfer window. The former United defender spoke out as the club prepares to appoint the Argentine, nearly eight years after first discussing the Old Trafford job with him.
Pochettino set to replace Carrick
United are set to name Pochettino as their new manager after sacking Michael Carrick on Thursday. The team currently sits in the Premier League relegation zone after 10 games, prompting the change in the dugout.
Neville, speaking on The Overlap's Stick to Football, warned that Pochettino must secure guarantees of investment in the coming transfer windows before accepting the role.
Neville demands defensive signings
Neville said: "I'm sure Mauricio Pochettino is doing this, but if you were coming into this job now - you've talked about don't believe an owner on the way in about what they're going to spend, moving the goalposts - if I were Mauricio Pochettino now, I would literally be protecting myself to the high heaven."
He added: "He'll do that with the payoff. But secondly, he needs two defenders in January. So he's got to insist that he gets two defenders in January. He's got to insist that he gets a minimum budget next summer for the transfer window to be able to turn this around."
United have largely limited major squad overhauls to summer windows in recent seasons, having improved their strikeforce in 2025 and planned midfield additions this year. The club has not signed a senior defender since Patrick Dorgu arrived in January 2025, and Neville insists the backline needs strengthening.
Transfer control essential
Neville continued: "He's got to insist that he gets a budget the following season. He's got to literally insist. They have to give it to him, otherwise he shouldn't take the job. With that defence - and that midfield by the way, that midfield's had some money spent on it - he's got to insist on the way in that there's some form of transfer control, that there's some form of budget there that he knows he can meaningfully change the team."
He said of Pochettino: "I don't think Mauricio is the type of manager either that would say 'give me half a billion'. I don't think he is that type of guy. I think he's someone a bit more responsible and will look at things, and he'll want to bring players through, and he'll want to develop young players."
Neville concluded: "I just think he needs to protect himself in the next 12 months with the transfer budget. The only time you can insist upon it is at the very beginning. They need two defenders in January - because if they have [Patrick] Dorgu at left-back, Mazaroui at right-back, and [Ayden] Heaven and [Leny] Yoro at centre-back, he will need to do a hell of a lot of coaching to get them up the league."
