Neville Criticizes Man Utd's Veteran Spine

Gary Neville, the former Manchester United captain and defender, has criticized the club's key senior players for failing to perform at a level commensurate with their experience, despite the team's recent upturn in form under manager Ruben Amorim.

Neville made the remarks during an appearance on The Overlap and Betfair's Stick to Cricket show, focusing on what he described as an "ageing" spine in the squad. He pointed to defenders Harry Maguire, 32, and Matthijs de Ligt, 26, as well as midfielders Casemiro, 33, and Bruno Fernandes, 31, arguing they should provide more stability. "I think your spine of a football team is critical," Neville said. "When I first came into Man United, our spine was Peter Schmeichel, Steve Bruce, Gary Pallister, Roy Keane and Eric Cantona and so we were all scattered around it. We literally were able to be cushioned by this unbelievably strong spine that delivered reliably every single week."

He acknowledged the players' extensive backgrounds, noting de Ligt's "mountain of games at sort of different levels, the highest level" and Maguire's numerous appearances for England. Similarly, he highlighted the "massive experience" of Casemiro and Fernandes...