Des Lynam Backs Gary Neville to ‘Save’ Man United and Become Their Next Manager

Long-serving sports presenter Des Lynam has made a shocking claim that Gary Neville is the man to take Manchester United forward.

Manchester United have been going through an especially poor season by their standards, though it could be argued that the current campaign is a byproduct of mismanagement over recent years. Former Sporting manager Ruben Amorim replaced Erik ten Hag earlier in the term and while there have been slight improvements under the Portuguese, it is clear that the Red Devils are a far cry from the team they once were.

The Old Trafford side are 13th in the Premier League, having won just one game in their last five. They have won seven league matches out of 22 in the season so far and are well over 10 points adrift of potentially qualifying for European football.

Neville the “Best Man for Job”

Lynam makes bold claim about Manchester United’s future

In an article he penned for the Telegraph, Lynam stated:

“Neville would still be the best man for the job. He has Manchester United blood running through his veins. He is deeply hurt by the club’s present predicament. He has a powerful personality and would be a strong presence in the dressing room. Oh and the money men had better watch out, Neville is an astute businessman.”

Neville is one of England’s best-known pundits, having worked almost exclusively in television since retiring from playing in 2011. The former right-back spent four years working as an assistant for the English national team between 2012 and 2016 but, to date, has only had one managerial job.

The one-club man was hired as Valencia head coach in December 2015, but his reign was tumultuous and overall, terrible. Neville oversaw a 7-0 thrashing loss to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey just two months after his appointment, which led to fans calling for him to resign. Neville was ultimately sacked just three months after he was hired, having won only three La Liga games from 16.

Carragher Responds

Pundit found humour in Lynam’s words

Jamie Carragher is, alongside Neville, one of England’s better-known pundits. Much has been made of the relationship shared between the two as, while it is clear they are friends, neither is afraid of having a laugh at the other’s expense.

Carragher, a one-club man with Liverpool, took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to voice his opinions on Lynam’s words, though it is clear that Carragher finds the idea of Neville taking charge at Manchester United particularly amusing:

Neville has scarcely shown the pedigree that would be needed from a manager to replace Amorim, particularly given that the Portuguese is regarded as one of Europe’s best young managers. Though Lynam is confident in his claim, it is hard to imagine that bringing Neville to the Old Trafford dugout would end in anything other than tears.