Gary Neville's Man Utd claim continues to age like milk as pundit admits U-turn
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Gary Neville's suggestion that Manchester United boast better midfield depth than Liverpool has never looked more misguided. Ruben Amorim was forced to shuffle his pack as United welcomed Newcastle to Old Trafford on Monday (December 30), with regular starters Bruno Fernandes and Manuel Ugarte both suspended. He controversially paired two 32-year-olds, Christian Eriksen and Casemiro, in the middle of the park.
It was a decision Neville himself called into question pre-match and one which Amorim was forced to admit he got wrong after just 32 minutes, sacrificing Joshua Zirkzee to bring on Kobbie Mainoo. And it left egg on the face of both the United legend and their current boss.
In his Premier League predictions on Monday Night Football back in August, Neville had his old side finishing third and Liverpool two places below them in the table. He explained: "I think Liverpool have a better team than Manchester United, far better forwards.
"But I really do question whether that Liverpool midfield can stand up over the season. I think Manchester United have got more depth in midfield.". The trio of Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have been transformative for Arne Slot so far this season, with Curtis Jones, Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo providing ample cover. None of United's midfielders have had a standout season, in comparison.
Neville had no choice but to U-turn on his early season prediction as he and Jamie Carragher revisited them at the midway stage of the campaign on the final MNF of 2024. With United sat 14th and closer to the relegation zone than European qualification, they were nowhere near his top six.
