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Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville has identified five positions his former side need to improve upon to challenge the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City in the upcoming Premier League season.
The ex-England international reckons that his former United teammate and current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to spend well in the upcoming transfer window to catch up to the clubs above them in the table.
Speaking on the Sky Sports podcast, he said:
"He needs to spend, Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, and that's not recklessly, he needs to spend in the right way. There needs to be a right-winger, there needs to be a challenge for centre-forward, there needs to be a left-back. There needs to be a challenge for a goalkeeper and they need a centre-back."
Gary Neville urges Manchester United to strengthen in five positions
Gary Neville, who knows a thing or two about winning the Premier League with Manchester United, has urged Solskjaer to strengthen five different positions to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool. The Red Devils finished third on the league table in the recently-concluded season but were a staggering 33 points behind the champions.
Manchester United's pursuit of a right-winger is well-documented, with Jadon Sancho heavily linked with a move back to Manchester. Borussia Dortmund are expecting a fee of around £100 million for the England international.
Solskjaer had previously admitted that he is looking to add to his striking ranks, with Anthony Martial and Odion Ighalo the only out-and-out centre-forwards at the club. The Red Devils have been linked with the likes of Victor Osimhen, Andrea Belotti and Moussa Dembélé, all players who can challenge Martial for a starting berth at Old Trafford.
The left-back position has been a problem for Manchester United since Patrice Evra's departure from the club. Luke Shaw has suffered from injuries and a loss of form during his tenure at Old Trafford, and although 19-year-old Brandon Williams has emerged from the academy, the Manchester giants probably need a dominant left-back.
Manchester United have been much better defensively this season, with Victor Lindelof and Harry Maguire building a solid partnership at the back.
However, Gary Neville reckons that the Old Trafford side need another dominant centre-back to lead them to a title. He said:
"They need a top centre-back who can who can bring that level of dominance to the defence like Van Dijk does for Liverpool like Kompany did for Man City".
Clearly referring to David de Gea's loss of form, he added:
"You look at every team that wins titles and they have a dominant centre-back and a great goalkeeper. Alisson, (Virgil) van Dijk, (Vincent) Kompany and Ederson, John Terry at Chelsea, Jaap Stam and Steve Bruce, Sol Campbell, Tony Adams."
