Gary Neville has named Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as the one player he would sign to strengthen Manchester United's squad this summer. The former Manchester United and England right-back highlighted United's 'desperation' for midfield reinforcements during a Q&A session for The Overlap.
Neville's Choice for United's Midfield
When asked which Liverpool player he would most like to see at Old Trafford, Neville said: 'There's a few but it's harder because Wirtz isn't exactly jumping out at me, Isak isn't jumping out at me, Ekitike yeah, Dominik Szoboszlai maybe… I'd go with Gravenberch. If you said to me, 'United, now, who would I take?', I'd take Gravenberch probably. He's the best of the three midfielders that United would need and we need a midfielder desperately.'
United spent around £200m on attackers Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, and Bryan Mbeumo ahead of the 2025/26 season but failed to address central midfield frailties. The position has been identified as a priority following Michael Carrick's appointment as head coach.
Liverpool's Struggles and Spending
Liverpool endured a disappointing year after their title success under Arne Slot, with a decline in performance costing the Dutchman his job in late May. The club spent a record-breaking £446m on new recruits the previous summer, surpassing Chelsea's £400m in 2023. However, signings like Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, and Jeremie Frimpong fell short of expectations, while Hugo Ekitike was arguably the standout before a devastating Achilles injury.
Neville on Liverpool's Attack and Klopp
Neville said he wouldn't swap Liverpool's current forwards for United's attackers like Mbeumo, Cunha, Bruno Fernandes, or Amad Diallo. He added: 'I think they've got potential to go and do brilliant things but they've not proved it yet.'
In a separate question, Neville named Jurgen Klopp as the manager he would most like to have played under. 'For five or six years you couldn't help but admire the team that I dislike the most,' he said. 'Every time you went and watched Liverpool it was a proper game of football… You knew they were electric in attack, speed, particularly in that two or three-year period when they had [Sadio] Mane, [Mohamed] Salah and [Roberto] Firmino at their peak.'
Neville praised Klopp's style and personality, calling the Liverpool team of that era 'devastating.' Klopp is reportedly being lined up by the German national team to replace Julian Nagelsmann after Germany's shock World Cup exit to Paraguay. Neville expressed doubts about Klopp's ability to turn Germany around, citing a limited talent pool compared to club management.
