Like him or loathe him, Sky Sports pundit and former Man United and England defender, Gary Neville, speaks his mind on issues that he’s passionate about.
He has no filter and for that he should be respected and admired rather than denigrated.
Far too often these days, those in the public eye water down their comments for fear of reprisals or the dreaded ‘cancel culture,’ but Neville remains forthright, opinionated and, quite often, correct.
One of his pet hates is clearly the Glazer family and the way in which his beloved Red Devils have been used by the owners for their own financial benefit.
More recently he’s given his two penneth on United’s most recent transfer business, and it’s safe to say that he’s quite underwhelmed by it all.
“I am surprised about the Mason Mount one to be honest with you. For the reported £60million fee… he is a very good player, that isn’t a question for me,” he was quoted as saying by Metro.
“But I look at the players United have got already in terms of Bruno Fernandes, Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Fred and Scott McTominay. Do I think Mason Mount is the player to go in and sort all that out? I’m not quite sure.
“I think you would have been better off going and playing £100million plus on Jude Bellingham or £80-100million on Declan Rice and getting something you think can be the real thing.
“Mason Mount would be a very good addition to Manchester United’s squad, but it is a lot of money for a squad addition.
‘Does Mount, Casemiro and Bruno work as a midfield three? Spending £60million, you have got to get that jump towards winning the league from third place. Manchester United at this moment in time, they haven’t got the money and they haven’t got the promise of the new ownership to be able to throw the big money at players.”
Whilst one can appreciate Neville’s standpoint, the right time to judge just how good a signing Mount is for the Old Trafford outfit will be in six to 12 months from now.
After all, the player himself still harbours international ambitions, and a super season at club level under Erik ten Hag would surely only enhance that.
Furthermore, Mount will almost certainly want to show everyone why he’s made the move up north and what value he can bring to the Dutchman’s emerging squad.