Where are they now? The three dream signings Gary Neville identified for Man Utd in 2019
Back in 2019, Gary Neville named his three dream signings for Manchester United and we’ve checked out where those players are today.
The Red Devils haven’t had the best track record in the transfer market in recent seasons and Ruben Amorim will no doubt want to put his own stamp on the squad over the coming years.
During a Twitter QnA back in 2019, Neville named his three dream United signings and we’ve checked out where all of those players are today.
Raphael Varane
Neville eventually got his wish with this one as the Red Devils signed the Frenchman in the summer of 2021 for around £40million.
Varane made a fairly decent impression during his spell at Old Trafford, although injuries often sidetracked his progress.
“For me, when I watch Varane, he actually defends his part of the pitch very well and the box very well – he heads out a lot of balls and is quite dominant in the air,” Neville said on The Overlap earlier this year.
“I just think he’s that kind of centre-half who will always do his own job really well but I don’t think he’ll impact the players around him.
“And that’s not a criticism by the way, because to be fair there are many great centre-halves who do their own job very well but don’t actually manage a back four.”
Following a three-year stint with the club, the 31-year-old departed on a free transfer to Como 1907 over the summer.
However, following a knee injury that he sustained in August, the Frenchman decided to retire in September. He still works at Como today as a board member.
READ NEXT: Where are they now? The 7 managers Gary Neville beat during his time at Valencia
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every club Marcus Rashford has scored against for Man Utd?
N’Golo Kante
Back in 2019, Kante was still one of the best midfielders in Europe, although he had started to become a bit more injury-prone by this point.
With United fans in 2019 desperate to see the best version of Paul Pogba at club level, it’s no surprise that Neville wanted to sign the Frenchman’s international teammate.
Funnily enough, Jose Mourinho had tried to lure Kante to Old Trafford back in 2016, but the midfielder ultimately opted to join Chelsea instead.
“It was amazing to have Mourinho call me, even though I’d been warned before how he would appeal to me,” Kante told Sky Sports when discussing United’s interest in him.
“I listened to his arguments about why I should move to United. But at that time I was hesitant between staying at Leicester or leaving for Chelsea.
“My discussions with them were already well underway. But when I spoke, I had a good feeling with Conte.”
Nowadays the 33-year-old plays for Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad and is reportedly earning £396,000 per week which is more than any current United player is being paid.
READ: 5 superstars from the Saudi Pro League out of contract in 2025: Ronaldo, Neymar…
Kylian Mbappe
While United have often flirted with the idea of signing Mbappe over the years, they never really came close to luring him to Old Trafford.
Neville name-dropped the French superstar as a dream signing for the club in 2019, but Mbappe himself was firmly focused on life at PSG at that stage.
“In terms of excitement, in terms of thrill, in terms of speed, Mbappe is absolutely sensational,” Neville said when describing the Frenchman in 2022.
“He reminds me of Thierry Henry, but he’s also got a bit of Cristiano Ronaldo in him – he is ruthless.”
After years of flirting with Real Madrid, the 25-year-old made the move to the Santiago Bernabeu over the summer on a free transfer.
While the transfer has by no means been a failure, Real Madrid fans are still waiting to see the best version of Mbappe in a Real Madrid shirt.
As of writing, he’s scored 12 goals in 22 appearances for the club and is still waiting to hit his top gear in La Liga.