Manchester United need to sign ‘four or five players’ to challenge for Premier League title, says Gary Neville

Neville says United need to invest heavily all over the pitch in order to keep pace with Liverpool

Manchester United cannot challenge for the Premier League title this season if they do not make “four or five improvements”, according to former club captain Gary Neville.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are on the brink of completing a £40m deal for Ajax playmaker Donny van de Beek, and are reportedly now prioritising reinforcements at centre-back, with RB Leipzig’s Dayot Upamecano recently linked.

However, Neville believes that, for United to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool, they must continue to invest heavily all over the pitch.

“They have to sign a world class centre-back. For me, another midfield player. I also think a right winger, a centre-forward and you have to look at left-back because of Luke Shaw’s injuries and the fact he has obviously been in and out of the team in the last two or three years,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“So, I think there are definitely four or five players required and to not get three, I think it would be a problem because of what the other clubs are doing. If Liverpool get Thiago, if Manchester City do what they are looking like they are going to do and with Chelsea doing what they’ve done, they are your competitors and they all look like they are improving and moving forward.

Manchester United are closing in on signing Donny van de Beek (Getty)

“So, United have to do business but I do believe more in the strategy of what’s happening, they just have to get the deals over the line. That’s not always easy but they have to try and do it quickly to give Ole the time to build to get this team moulded for the start of the season.”

Neville added that Solskjaer’s goal this season should be to break into the top two, and that the board must act quickly in order to help the club achieve that.

However, Neville did play down the importance of signing Jadon Sancho in order to achieve that target, with United currently yet to agree a fee with Borussia Dortmund for the England international.

“The fans I speak to aren’t saying we desperately want Sancho,” he said. “They are saying we want the right calibre of signing brought into the club. It could be anybody that fits that bill. Yes, Sancho may fit that bill, but I’m not sat here as a United fan thinking I desperately want him.

“It could be any number of players that become available that would improve United. If Harry Kane became available, and Tottenham fans will be saying why are you trying to get him out of Spurs again, but if he became available, he’d obviously improve United’s squad. So it doesn’t have to be a certain player.

“The emergence of Mason Greenwood takes a bit of pressure off the situation but still, Manchester United need to add to the front three of Greenwood, Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. They need to challenge those three players and support those three players. They need to have depth behind those three players, and they will drive the standards.”