Solskjaer must be ruthless with board, says Neville

UNITED legend Gary Neville says Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must be ‘ruthless with his board’ this summer as the club prepare for a return to Champions League football.

United may have secured a return to Europe’s elite competition with a final day win over Leicester City, but they still finished 33 points behind champions Liverpool in the league.

And if they want to bridge that gap, they are going to have to invest significantly, requiring Solskjaer to be ‘ruthless’ and frank with the people who sign the cheques at Old Trafford.

That’s according to Neville, who said on his Sky Sports podcast: “When Manchester United reflect upon this season they should say, ‘Recruitment? Better. Performances in the last part of the season? Better.

Youth of the team? Good. Are we at the quality we need to be? No.

“Don’t kid ourselves as a Manchester United fan, pundit, commentator, ex-player. That’s still a long way off winning the title and they still have to keep going in the right direction and push.

“When Liverpool got nearly there, they spend £150m on Alisson and van Dijk. Man City in that first season when Pep Guardiola didn’t win, they went and spent £150m on full-backs and a new goalkeeper.

“So, you’ve got to be ruthless. The best managers in the world are ruthless and Frank (Lampard) and Ole (Gunnar Solskjaer) have got to be ruthless with their boards.”

United spent more than £145m last year, adding to that total with the signing of Bruno Fernandes in January, and they are expected to invest heavily again this summer.