"This boy is someone special" - Gary Neville claims Manchester United ignored his advice to sign Man City superstar
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has commented on the explosive rise of Manchester City left-back Joao Cancelo after watching the Portuguese run riot in the Premier League this season.
Neville worked with Cancelo during his time as manager at Valencia. He has now revealed that he advised the Red Devils to sign the right-back, but United did not pay heed.
It looks like Gary Neville recommended João Cancelo to Manchester United. 😬 https://t.co/35iOnGby1H
Cancelo has been one of the best full-backs in the Premier League this season. He has played a crucial role in helping Manchester City keep their top spot in the league. Neville has once again showered praise on the Portuguese right-back.
He said on Instagram Live, as quoted by Metro:
"He’s unbelievable, he’s brilliant. I think Cancelo is a brilliant full-back. I never had any doubts when I was at Valencia for those four months that he was going to be a top player."
Neville went on to talk about how he had advised United to sign the defender.
"I literally told United about him. I said, “Honestly this boy is someone special you’ve got to look at getting him.”
Gary Neville on Joao Cancelo: "I had him as a very young player at Valencia, you could see exceptional talent. I made calls to England, you could imagine which club I'm talking about, saying 'if you'd ever take a young player, he's one you'd take'." [via @SkySports/@MailSport]
"And then he went to Juventus to be fair, [Valencia] sold him for £40million to Juventus, and then obviously City bought him for £60m. He went to Inter Milan [on loan] as well. He had two big moves, he’s got massive experience now, he’s got great courage on the ball, left and right foot, brilliant player."
Manchester United eyeing squad overhaul this summer
Following a disappointing season, Manchester United will be keen to bounce back strongly next term. They have a new boss in Erik ten Hag. There could be a plethora of movement at Old Trafford with many stars expected to leave the club at the end of this season.
Ten Hag might also want new players of his own choosing to build a squad that can compete in multiple competitions next season.