Manchester United Transfer News Roundup: Gary Neville criticises Cristiano Ronaldo for lack of ownership; Barcelona interested in David de Gea, and more - November 10, 2022
Manchester United will host Aston Villa at Old Trafford on Thursday (November 10) in the third round of the EFL Cup. Erik ten Hag’s wards will be out for revenge after enduring a humiliating 3-1 defeat against the same opponents in the Premier League last weekend.
Meanwhile, Red Devils legend Gary Neville has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for his lack of ownership at Old Trafford. Elsewhere, Barcelona are interested in David de Gea.
On that note, here's a look at the key Manchester United transfer stories as on November 10, 2022:
Gary Neville criticises Cristiano Ronaldo for lack of ownership
Gary Neville has slammed Cristiano Ronaldo for not speaking to the press after the defeat at Aston Villa. The Portuguese was handed the armband for the game in the absence of Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes. However, the 37-year-old couldn’t prevent his team from succumbing to a defeat.
Speaking on The Overlap podcast, as cited by The Metro, Neville said that Ronaldo should have talked about the team’s performance after the game.
“He (Ronaldo) went out as the captain of Manchester United, and the team lost. Your job is to speak at the end of the match. I’ve been there in that position. If you win, the player who scored the goal or the star man goes out and speaks. If you lose, it’s your goalkeeper; it’s your centre-back or it’s your captain,” said Neville.
He continued:
‘Why did we not hear from him? He should have been there to say, ‘this is what we did wrong today; we’re going to work hard for next week, and we’re going to be ready for the next game.’ I think he should actually speak; no one’s heard him speak for six months; we don’t hear from him.”
🗞️ Cristiano Ronaldo is absent due to illness. [@RobDawsonESPN]
Neville added that Ronaldo shouldn’t wait for others to answer for him.
“I think the reason why I said previously that Manchester United would be better without him and that he would be better without Manchester United was I expect so much of him because I played with him for six years. You take ownership of what happened. You don’t leave it to other people to answer your stuff for you,” said Neville.
The Portuguese has appeared 16 times for the Red Devils this season but has scored only thrice.
Barcelona interested in David de Gea
Barcelona are interested in David de Gea, according to Todo Fichajes via Caught Offside.
The Spanish goalkeeper is in the final year of hiscontract with Manchester United but is yet to sign a new deal. Recent reports have indicated that the 32-year-old wants to extend his stay at Old Trafford. However, the Premier League giants are biding their time before making a decision on his future.
David De Gea has played the most minutes of any player in Premier League history, overtaking Ben Foster:
🥇 David De Gea - 35,039
🥈 Ben Foster - 34,959
🥉 Gary Cahill - 33,374
Landmark. ⏱️ https://t.co/CALyuMfUpf
Meanwhile, De Gea is not short of suitors. The Blaugrana are planning to take him to the Camp Nou in a Bosman move and have already contacted his entourage to facilitate a deal.
Apart from Barcelona, Atletico Madrid are also interested in the Spaniard. However, a return to the Wanda Metropolitano could be complicated due to the presence of Diego Simeone.
Patrice Evra advises Donny van de Beek to leave Manchester United
Former Manchester United left-back Patrice Evra has advised Donny van de Beek to leave Old Trafford.
The Dutch midfielder has struggled to find his feet since joining the Red Devils in 2020. Even the arrival of his former manager Erik ten Hag has failed to improve his fortunes, as the 25-year-old continues to be a peripheral figure at the club.
Speaking to Betfair, as relayed by The Metro, Evra said that Van de Beek should move to a club where he feels loved again.
“My advice to him is that he needs to go somewhere where he feels loved. The problem in England, not just Manchester, is that people don’t respect him. He’s a very good player. He reminds me of Mkhitaryan and Sanchez, when they struggled at United. When these things happen, you have to go. He’s losing his time,” said Evra.
He added:
“He’s getting injured, he’s not playing enough and when he plays all the pressure is on him. I don’t think he can deal well with the pressure. Go to where you feel loved is my advice.”
Van de Beek has appeared six times across competitions this season under Ten Hag.