Published 16:40 IST, April 2nd 2020
Gary Neville reveals three key secrets of Sir Alex Ferguson's Man United transfer strategy
Gary Neville shared the three guidelines followed by Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United which earned him 38 honours over his managerial career at Old Trafford.
Manchester United legend Gary Neville has lifted the lid over the Man United transfer strategy that brought ascendency to Old Trafford in Sir Alex Ferguson's career as a manager. According to Gary Neville, Sir Alex Ferguson based his Man United transfer policy on three categories to attain success with the English outfit. In just over 26 years as manager of the club, the Scotsman collected 13 Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, and two Champions League titles.
Gary Neville reveals Man United transfer strategy under Sir Alex Ferguson
The 45-year old Gary Neville explained the first policy of Sir Alex Ferguson was to promote youth at the club before even heading into the Man United transfer market. Sir Alex Ferguson never even bothered about the players linked with a Man United transfer as the primary objective was to deploy young talents on the field of play, Neville claimed. Only once the boss figured the players he wanted from his youthful crop would he move on to the next policy.
Gary Neville reveals Man United transfer strategy under Sir Alex Ferguson
The second policy for a Man United transfer was to check out the top players in the Premier League that were durable with the ability to take their game to the next level. Players such as Gary Pallister, Steve Bruce, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, Robin van Persie fit the bill at the time. Ferguson was keen to sign the best players but not ones that were already established, rarely venturing into the world of buying the ready-made star, admits Gary Neville.
Gary Neville reveals Man United transfer strategy under Sir Alex Ferguson
Gary Neville finally stated that the third criteria was to look for emerging stars across the globe that could develop into great players for the future. The likes of Nemanja Vidic, Peter Schmeichel, Patrice Evra, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer were perfect examples of players that came to the Premier League and left the club with accolades under their belt. Cristiano Ronaldo has gone on to become a global phenomenon while Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also wrote his name into Man United's history books in 1999.
Gary Neville concluded by stating that the transfer strategy was similar to a conveyer belt as players arrived and left but not more than a handful each season. There was also never a massive change-up in the squad as the environment around the arrivals and departures was controlled. Even though Roy Keane, Andy Cole, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Juan Sebastian Veron, Rio Ferdinand, and Dimitar Berbatov were all purchased by Man United for British record fees at the time, Ferguson seldom lured established world-class players to Old Trafford.
Updated 16:40 IST, April 2nd 2020