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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Sport
Steven Railston

Gary Neville explains change in stance on the Glazers' controversial Manchester United ownership

Gary Neville has admitted he was silent about the Glazers when he was a Manchester United player due to being a club employee.

United have won just three trophies since Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 and the club is currently enduring its longest period without silverware in 40 years. United last won a trophy in 2017 in the Europa League with Jose Mourinho in charge.

The Glazers' ownership remains controversial and thousands of supporters have demonstrated against the American family over the last few years, with around 10,000 fans most recently protesting on a pre-Liverpool march to Old Trafford in August.

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Neville did not criticise the Glazers during his playing career, but he's changed that stance as a pundit, which has led to him being one of the most vocal critics in the media against the owners.

In his new book, Neville has acknowledged he was naive about the Glazers and issues of racism as a player and coach with England.

"I am coming up in a couple of years to my 50th birthday. I know a lot more than I did 20 years ago. You let a lot of things pass when you are a player, when you are an employee, and you are not in a position of leadership," Neville told Sky Sports.

"Even though I was a union rep, I was at times captain of Manchester United and I was on the players' board with England. You are still in a position where you are told what to do and you abide by that. Those are just the principles of how I was brought up.

"Your leaders, your coaches, your teachers, [you listen to them]. That is why I admire those players now who do speak up on social issues because I did keep quiet. I am quite humble about that in the book.

"I said that when [Roman] Abramovich came to Chelsea and when the Glazer family came to United and when I witnessed Ashley Cole being racially abused in the Bernabeu and when I witnessed Raheem Sterling being targeted by the media in 2016, I did not do enough.

"I did not see it as the danger that I do now years later. I do feel that I am at an important stage of my life where the experiences that I have had, whether that is playing, managing, with the PFA or [as part-owner of Salford City], that there is a better way forward for football. I still think the priority of any regulator is to maintain the standards of the Premier League.

"I love the Premier League. It is outstanding. This is not an anti-Premier League stance, this is a pro-Premier league stance to make the game fairer and better and to strengthen the pyramid."

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