Neville: Premier League is becoming great again

Daniel Storey

Gary Neville believes that Paul Pogba’s arrival is a sign that the Premier League might becoming great again.

Speaking to The Times, Neville bemoaned the quality of football in English football’s top flight over the last few years.

However, the arrival of Pogba, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte could spark a change, Neville believes.

“It excites me, because for the last three or four years the Premier League hasn’t been exciting enough,” Neville said.

“Not that it hasn’t excited me, but the quality of the football hasn’t been of the highest level. I think the quality has been poor. For all the money that has been spent, we’ve not been able to keep Grade A players or incentivise them to come here in the first place.

“I feel that, for the first time in a few years, a potential world-class player, who could have gone to Barcelona or Real Madrid, is coming to an English club. That’s good for the league.

“The fact that Guardiola is here, Mourinho is here, Conte has come, the fact that we’ve enticed Pogba to come, I think it gives the feeling that something is starting to happen again, that the very best players might be starting to think about coming to England again.

“The best players in the world are at Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, and they need to start coming to Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, City.

“With the money we have in this league we have to be attracting not just the best managers but the best players.

“They spend an incredible amount of money and, with what the fans are paying, what Sky are paying, we need to be seeing the best players over here rather than watching teams struggle like crazy in the Champions League.”