Manchester United legend Gary Neville has endorsed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's approach to the summer transfer window, describing it as patient and 'clever'. The Red Devils made only three new signings – Harry Maguire, Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James – while offloading Romelu Lukaku and Ander Herrera, who left on a free transfer.
Neville acknowledged that Solskjaer would have ideally wanted to move on more players, but warned against a mass exodus. 'I think there are three or four players at Old Trafford who have higher levels of quality that in a perfect world, Ole would probably like them all out at once,' he told ESPN. 'But actually, if they left it would weaken the team that badly it'd mean that they wouldn't challenge for the Champions League.'
The former right-back believes a gradual overhaul is necessary to avoid damaging the dressing room and squad quality. 'You can't get out of it in one year, it's going to take two or three years of good culture and tone... You can't lose Lukaku, Pogba, [Anthony] Martial all in one - you'd be absolutely decimated,' he added.
Solskjaer himself expressed relief after the window closed, saying: 'Now it's done now, we know (who) we're looking forward with and I'm delighted with the three we've signed.' The new-look United squad is preparing for their Premier League opener against Chelsea on Sunday, where Maguire, Wan-Bissaka and James could make their competitive debuts.
