Former Manchester United assistant coach Phil Neville has criticised the club’s management structure, claiming the manager does not have the final say in important decisions, including player recruitment.

Neville made the remarks in an interview with CBS Sports Golazo while reflecting on his experience working under David Moyes following Sir Alex Ferguson’s departure in 2013.

He said the club underwent a significant transformation after Ferguson and former chief executive David Gill left their positions, describing the situation under the new leadership as a major departure from the structure that had sustained its success.

According to Neville, Ferguson and Gill maintained discipline and ensured that decisions were implemented throughout the club, giving the manager and chief executive clear authority over its operations.

“They had a manager in Sir Alex Ferguson and a CEO in David Gill, who were disciplined and ran the club from top to bottom. Whatever they said, it happened,” Neville said.

He explained that the situation changed the following year when a new chief executive and manager arrived, claiming the club became disorganised and the manager lost control.

Neville particularly questioned Manchester United’s recruitment policy, alleging that decisions were influenced by players’ fame and commercial value rather than the manager’s footballing requirements.

“The focus wasn’t on the football club, the manager didn’t have the final say, and the manager couldn’t pick signings. The signings were based on how famous they were and how much money they could make,” he said.

The former Manchester United player said he hated the experience and was shocked by the changes he witnessed during his 10 months working with Moyes.

He also argued that the challenges faced by Moyes were similar to those encountered by subsequent managers, including José Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Erik ten Hag, Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick.

Neville questioned the level of alignment within the club, insisting that the problems extended beyond individual managers and could not be resolved through a quick fix.

He called for Manchester United to address its structural challenges from top to bottom, suggesting that clearer authority and a unified direction were necessary to restore stability and improve the club’s performance.

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