18 May 2026 07:14 BST |
5 min read
Gary Neville says that Manchester United will need major investment this summer to remain competitive in the Premier League and has urged the Red Devils to chase Elliot Anderson as a replacement for Casemiro.
The Brazil international has already confirmed that he will leave the club this summer, and Neville predicts that it will cost somewhere in the region of €115 million to sign a like-for-like replacement.
Nottingham Forest star Anderson is seen as the obvious candidate to replace Casemiro in the eyes of the former Man Utd right-back.
Anderson is widely expected to leave Forest in the summer, with Manchester City thought to be in pole position to sign the 23-year-old in a deal that is expected to be worth over €100m (£87m).
“Manchester United need to look at players that are either very young and have a hunger to grow or Premier League-ready players and Elliot Anderson is that,” Neville explained on the Gary Neville Podcast following the Red Devils’ 3-2 win over Forest at Old Trafford.
“What I like about Anderson is the fact that he looks forward and he contributes. The two crosses for the goals, were exceptional.
“I see too many crabs playing central midfield. You can’t have too many people who play five-yard passes back and sideways. You need to put players in there who are going to look forward and punch passes through the lines and have their head up.
“But if you believe what you hear, Manchester City also want him, so if it’s a straight fight between the two Manchester clubs, it’ll be interesting to see who he chooses.”
Man Utd won’t do another deal like Casemiro… and why that’s a good thing
United have a more nuanced transfer strategy under co-owners INEOS than they have had in the past, with the type of big-money deal that brought Casemiro to the club no longer the sort of transfer they are seeking to make.
Neville explained: “Casemiro was signed in a panic after the Brentford defeat away from home. They overpaid and they overpaid on salary.
“Manchester United today in their current format and leadership won’t go and do another deal like that.”
Anderson is widely thought to be outside United’s grasp, and given he has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €57.7m, there are serious questions over whether he would provide value for money at Old Trafford.
And Neville does believe that there are multiple areas of the squad that Man Utd need to improve, if not in strength, then certainly in depth.
“Michael Carrick’s got a squad at the moment that is paper-thin. If two or three players got injured, it would fall apart quite quickly,” he explained.
“The squad will come under great stress playing three times a week. There are some players out there who are injury prone, some players who fatigue more and it’s just inevitable.
“They need two top central midfield players. That’s the absolute unequivocal.
“Carrick will need four or five more players minimum, of really high quality that are reliable, consistent, and Premier League ready.”
Whether it’s Anderson that Man Utd sign to replace Casemiro or someone else entirely, it’s clear that this summer will be pivotal for the future of the Old Trafford side.
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