Neville picks Gravenberch as the Liverpool player he would sign for Manchester United

Gary Neville has singled out Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as the player he would most want Manchester United to sign from their fiercest rivals, naming him ahead of Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister on the Overlap podcast.

The former United captain’s comments come as the club moves to address a midfield shortage that has grown more pressing following Casemiro’s summer departure and a serious injury to Manuel Ugarte. United confirmed the £50m signing of Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos from Chelsea on Monday and are set to add Aston Villa’s Youri Tielemans after activating his £35m release clause.

A third midfield addition remains on the agenda. A £38m deal for Atalanta’s Ederson was agreed with the Serie A club in early June, but the move has stalled after medical tests raised concerns over a knee injury the 27-year-old sustained last season. The Manchester Evening News understands United may seek to renegotiate the terms of that agreement.

With that deal unresolved, Neville was asked on the podcast which Liverpool player he would choose if forced to pick one for Old Trafford. His answer was unambiguous.

“I’d go Gravenberch,” he said. “If you said to me now, I’d take Gravenberch because I think he’s the best of the three midfielders and we need a midfielder desperately.”

Neville was less enthusiastic about raiding Liverpool’s attack, suggesting United’s own forward options compare favourably. “The forwards are good but I wouldn’t swap them over Mbeumo, Cunha, Bruno, Amad — I don’t think I’d be jumping to take any of them. I think they’ve got potential to do brilliant things but they’ve not proved it yet.”

Elsewhere in the same conversation, Neville was asked which manager in world football he would most have wanted to play under. He named former Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, crediting the German’s attacking philosophy and personality — a candid admission from a man who spent his entire playing career at United.

“For five or six years you couldn’t help but admire the team that I dislike the most,” Neville said. “Every time you went and watched Liverpool it was a proper game of football. You knew they weren’t holding back and you knew they were going to go for it.”

Michael Owen remains the last player to have represented both clubs at senior level, joining United from Real Madrid in 2009 and winning the Premier League title and League Cup during his time in Manchester.