‘The time has come’: Gary Neville wants top Man Utd star gone; also calls on Ten Hag to fix midfield issues

Gary Neville is convinced the time has finally come for Manchester United to replace David de Gea as their No.1 at Old Trafford and also feels certain members of Erik ten Hag’s squad cannot take the club to the next level.

De Gea actually scooped the Premier League’s Golden Glove award this season but a number of high-profile errors have once again raised question marks over his future, especially with Ten Hag recently failing to give assurances of his status as first-choice for next term.

The Spaniard’s existing contract is due to expire on June 30, although he is expected to pen a new deal in reduced terms over the next fortnight.

United legend was highly critical of De Gea after the FA Cup final loss to Manchester City, with the 32-year-old at fault for his role in Ilkay Gundogan’s second-half strike that eventually won the game for Pep Guardiola’s treble-winners.

And Neville also believes that adding another top keeper to Ten Hag’s squad, along with a striker and midfielder is a must for his old side this summer.

“‘You have got to start with a centre forward and a goalkeeper,” Neville told Metro.co.uk. “If you don’t have those two positions fixed in a football team you are massively struggling.

“Manchester United are massively struggling particularly up front but it has come to the time where they have to get a top goalkeeper. That Cup final [against City] said it to us all. I don’t like mentioning it too much but the second goal shouldn’t have gone in the back of the net.

“The reality of it is, David de Gea has had a great career at Manchester United, he has been a fantastic goalkeeper. But now is the time for him to be challenged and get someone in to be that no1.

“But you can look at midfield as well. There is a problem where they have got two players who have got legs who aren’t good enough on the ball and two good enough on the ball who haven’t got the legs.

“I still think the composition of that midfield is not right so they need to sort that out. You can have one player who maybe can’t get about but he [ten Hag] wants to play through the midfield with technical players and he can’t do that with the players that he’s got there.”

Neville wants Man Utd squad freshened up

Ten Hag has actually enjoyed an impressive first campaign in English football, winning the Carabao Cup, reaching the final of the FA Cup and finishing third in the Premier League table.

However, Neville also states that the current Red Devils squad has reached their limits and that it would be an error to rely on the same players again next term.

He added: “There are players who have hung around for quite a bit who have never really hit the standard but you keep thinking it might come and it doesn’t. What Erik ten Hag has done, I do think he has achieved the maximum from that squad, to get them to two cup finals and finish third in the league.

“There were a few injuries at the end as well and maybe being all competitions including the Europa League made it tough. But it would be a mistake for them, because these players have been there before, some of them were there under Ole [Gunnar Solskjaer] where you asked can they make that next step. These players can’t make that next step without significant additions.”

READ MORE: Man Utd interest in incredible hijack of Arsenal deal emerges just before definitive blow