Manchester United legend Gary Neville believes the club need to make four priority additions to the squad to stay competitive next season. The Red Devils have already qualified for next season’s Champions League following their 3-2 win over Liverpool on Sunday, 3 May.
United are now third in the league table with three games remaining this season, and INEOS are preparing for a major summer ahead. The Red Devils have to make a permanent appointment for the hot seat at Old Trafford, although recent reports suggest that caretaker manager Michael Carrick is the frontrunner for the position.
The English giants are also preparing for squad reinforcements as they look ahead to a comparatively busier season. United need to strengthen their midfield to address the impending departure of Casemiro, who will leave as a free agent this summer.
The Red Devils signed four players last summer in what was a highly successful transfer window, and Neville believes they have to repeat the trick this year as well.
United have to upgrade the defence and midfield
Speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, the United legend said that Carrick will be disappointed at not winning by a larger scoreline against Liverpool. He said: “Michael Carrick will be very happy tonight but I think he will also be disappointed deep down that they haven’t gone on to win that game 3-0 or 4-0.”
“They should have killed that game and put Liverpool to sleep because they were nowhere near this football match. He’s won the game and that’s the most important thing but Carrick won’t be fooled by some of what he saw in that second half.”
Neville went on to state that the Red Devils have to strengthen their defence as well as their midfield this summer, adding: “He will know he needs to rebuild the defence and midfield. If you’re going to play 4-4-2, which I am massively in favour of United doing, you have to have two very special players in there and have defenders who can play one-on-one.”
“You’re asking a lot of the players. I think United need a left-back for next season because Luke Shaw has played every game this year and he may struggle. They need a centre-back, 100%, and they need two midfield players. They are the four priorities right now. They’re the players I would look at adding to this squad.”
United advised to offload Mason Mount
Neville believes that his former club could explore the possibility of targeting a fifth player as a possible replacement for Mason Mount. He said: “Look, if you could then maybe trade Mason Mount for someone else who maybe can play in and out and can be a bit more flexible across the midfield and forward line then I would say go for a fifth.”
“But if you can’t, I would say those four areas are the priority and they’ve got to be top-notch, those players.”
Mount has struggled to live up to expectations since his much-publicised move to Old Trafford from Chelsea in the summer of 2023. The Englishman was highly rated by former head coach Ruben Amorim. However, he has managed only four appearances under Carrick, all of which were from the bench, clocking 27 minutes of action.
Mason Mount Stats: 2025/26 Season
| Competition | Appearances | Starts | Goals | Assists | Yellow Cards | Red Cards | Minutes Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 20 | 10 | 3 | - | 1 | - | 844' |
| EFL Cup | 1 | 0 | - | 1 | - | - | 26' |
| FA Cup | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 62' |
| Total | 22 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | - | 932' |
Source: Transfermarkt.
Final Thoughts
As the season draws to a close and with Champions League football already secure, the focus will now shift to United’s summer plans. The Red Devils have already reaped the benefits of some calculated squad reinforcements last year, and getting their top targets this summer will enable them to fight for silverware next campaign.
🔴 Mason Mount says Manchester United have the ability and mentality to win the Premier League next season:
🗣️ Mount: I've won the Champions League already, so I have a goal of winning the Premier League. Can we do that? Yes, I think we can.
We've shown what we can do against… pic.twitter.com/alMiLhyAD3
— Football Tweet ⚽ (@Footballtweet) May 3, 2026
Feature image Carl Recine via Getty Images
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