United can still attract top-end players: Gary Neville

Former Manchester United skipper Gary Neville on Tuesday said that the team can still attain good quality players for the next season as the squad had a knack of acquiring skillful players in the past.

"I think United can still attract top-end players because we've seen good players come to the club over the last six or seven years," goal.com quoted Neville as saying.

The deal between Man Utd and Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt hangs in balance. Neville believes that such near-misses in the transfer market happened even when the Red Devils were ultra-successful under Sir Alex Ferguson.

"This club lost players when it was successful to some of the biggest clubs in Europe that are competing with United. Don't think that if United lose players now to Barcelona that this is the first time it's ever happened, it's happened before," Neville said.

"This club will never move away from being a sensational football club, it will have difficult moments and it's having a difficult time now" he added.

The 44-year-old English footballer opined that missing out on big players is nothing to do with the coach, the manager, or the players; it just happens sometimes.

"It's not because of the current plight, or the coach, or the manager, or the current players. It just happens sometimes. It happened during successful times too," Neville told goal.com

Asserting that adding the right players and playing good football with the right principles will lead them to success in the future, Neville said, "As long as the principles are right, play good football, bring the right players through, try and win as best you can, don't give in, good attitude... and for me, I can wait for two, three, four, five years for the club to be successful. It isn't a problem for me."

"I lived through 20 years as a fan when I was growing up where the club wasn't successful. I'm not in a rush I just want to see the right things happen and with Ole here as a coach there's an opportunity for that to happen," added Neville.