An ESPN pundit has taken aim at Gary Neville over his comments about Manchester United‘s bid to find a successor for Ruben Amorim.
Former Red Devils captain Neville appeared on Sky Sports on Monday evening after news of Amorim’s sacking broke earlier in the day.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss was removed from his post by the powers that be at Old Trafford less than 24 hours after hitting out at the club’s hierarchy while speaking to reporters following his side’s draw at Elland Road.
It means United have now gone through some 10 managers since the departure of Sir Alex Ferguson in 2013, and Neville believes it’s time his former club reverts back to its roots.
‘I’ve always been very proud of what United is – adventurous, exciting football, playing young players, entertaining the crowd,’ he said. ‘Man United must take risks and be courageous and play with attacking football.
‘United have got to appoint a manager who fits the DNA of their football club. Ajax will never change for anybody, Barcelona will never change for anybody, I don’t think Man United should change for anybody. They should play the way in which they play.’
An ESPN pundit has taken aim at Gary Neville over his comments about Manchester United’s bid to find a successor for Ruben Amorim
But the 50-year-old’s comments didn’t go down well with ESPN presenter Craig Burley who, reposting a video of Neville’s television appearance, wrote on X: ‘Verbal diarrhea… again!’
It comes after Amorim himself name-dropped Neville in his outburst at Elland Road, citing the criticism he’s received from The Overlap host.
The Portuguese boss said: ‘I know my name is not (Thomas) Tuchel, it’s not (Antonio) Conte, it’s not (Jose) Mourinho, but I am the manager of Manchester United and it’s going to be like this for 18 months or when the board decide to change. That was my point and I want to finish with that. I’m not going to quit. I will do my job until other guy is coming here to replace me.
‘I just want to say that I am going to be the manager of this team, not just the coach and I was really clear on that. And that is going to finish in 18 months and then everyone is going to move on. That was the deal, that is my job… not to be a coach. If people cannot handle the Gary Nevilles, the criticism, everything… we need to change the club. I just want to say that.
‘I came here to be the manager of Manchester United, not to be the coach. In every department, the scouting department, the sporting director needs to do his job, and I will do mine for 18 months and then we move on.’
Those turned out to be his final words as United manager, with Wilcox pulling the plug on his almost 14-month reign early on Monday morning.
However Daily Mail Sport understands that the hierarchy at Old Trafford decided to dismiss Amorim as early as Friday.
Ruben Amorim was dismissed on Monday morning after an explosive press conference a day earlier
The verdict followed a meeting between Amorim and United’s director of football, Jason Wilcox, held after last Tuesday’s 1-1 draw against bottom-placed Wolves – a match in which Amorim reverted to his preferred system of three central defenders.
According to sources, Amorim was told that United’s squad, bolstered by £250million of summer recruitment, were good enough to earn trust and that they were capable of playing more attacking football.
However, it would appear that the message failed to hit home and, indeed was met with a furious response from the Portuguese boss.
A statement announcing Amorim’s departure read: ‘Ruben Amorim has departed his role as head coach of Manchester United.
‘Ruben was appointed in November 2024 and led the team to a UEFA Europa League Final in Bilbao in May.
‘With Manchester United sitting sixth in the Premier League, the club’s leadership has reluctantly made the decision that it is the right time to make a change. This will give the team the best opportunity of the highest possible Premier League finish.
‘The club would like to thank Ruben for his contribution to the club and wishes him well for the future. Darren Fletcher will take charge of the team against Burnley on Wednesday.’
The Portuguese boss arrived at United in November 2024 from Sporting Lisbon but his poor record has seen him become a figure of mockery, topped when footage emerged of him using coaching magnets in the dugout during United’s defeat by Grimsby Town in the second round of the Carabao Cup in August.
Former United midfielder and current Under-18s coach Darren Fletcher has been installed as caretaker manager for Wednesday’s trip to Burnley.
