Neville sends warning to Arsenal, Man City as Ten Hag turns around Man Utd ‘disgrace’

Joe Williams
Man Utd legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane attend the Carabao Cup final
Gary Neville and Roy Keane on punditry duty for Sky Sports.

Man Utd legend Gary Neville has warned Premier League title rivals Arsenal and Man City that the Red Devils “will be dangerous with a medal around their neck”.

Sunday’s 2-0 Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle at Wembley ended United’s silverware drought and gave them something to show for the improvement they have made under Erik ten Hag.

A Casemiro strike and a Sven Botman own goal eased Man Utd to victory over Eddie Howe’s Magpies as they claimed the first domestic cup of the season.

Man Utd have come on leaps and bounds from last campaign, when they finished sixth in the Premier League, with Ten Hag’s men still competing for the Europa League and FA Cup, while they have an outside chance of Premier League title glory.

And, despite admitting Man Utd are “not close to Arsenal or Man City”, Neville reckons they will be “dangerous” from now until the end of the season.

“At the end of last season, some of those players were part of a team labelled a disgrace by me and other Man Utd fans,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“It was horrible to watch. They were divided. The turnaround is transformational. It’s unbelievable what Erik ten Hag has done.

“From 2003 and 2006, we didn’t win a trophy and you feel like you’re never going to win a league again, or you’re not going to be up there again. This trophy was the catalyst for feeling confident and putting belief into the squad.

“This squad will be dangerous with a medal around their neck because you like to think Erik ten Hag is going to improve them again in the next 12 to 18 months.

“They’re not close to Arsenal or Man City, that’s clear, but where they are and what they’re doing is something I never would have imagined six months ago.”

Fellow Sky Sports pundit and Man Utd legend Roy Keane added: “Erik ten Hag was brought in to try and rebuild the club, get them to compete a bit more.

“What’s gone on in the last few years, I’ve been really critical, I disliked what they stood for. They weren’t a team, they weren’t together, issues on and off the pitch, but what the manager’s done in a short space of time is fantastic.

“They’ve recruited well, they’ve got a spirit. They weren’t at their best today but they won a football match and the fans appreciate that.

“There’s a lot of hard work ahead, the players have got to use this as a springboard to get more trophies over the next few years, that’s what it’s about playing for Man Utd.”

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