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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Sport
Tom Blow

Richard Arnold 'contacts' Gary Neville in bid to get Man Utd legends on side

Manchester United's new CEO Richard Arnold is reportedly planning on "building bridges" with club icons, including Gary Neville.

Arnold is set to succeed Ed Woodward as United's top operations executive on February 1, marking a new era for the Old Trafford side.

Woodward was widely unpopular with fans during his eight-and-a-half-year spell in charge, as the team won just three major trophies.

Arnold is hoping to be more successful than his predecessor and reportedly wants an "easy ride" from United's greatest players, many of whom now work in the media.

The ambitious administrator is said to already be in contact with several ex-stars ahead of his official start date next month.

What are your thoughts on the Glazer family's ownership of Manchester United? Let us know in the comments below!

Richard Arnold (L) will succeed Ed Woodward (R) as Manchester United's top executive next month (John Peters)

According to The Athletic, Arnold has got in touch with Neville and is expected to contact more legends in the coming weeks.

Sky Sports pundit Neville is one of Woodward's fiercest critics, hammering the departing executive after the European Super League (ESL) collapsed last April.

Woodward's failed attempt to join the closed shop of Elite European clubs led to him offering his resignation and huge protests from supporters.

"Ed Woodward knew his time in football was finished, probably this morning, and he’s probably done that (resigned) to keep away from the criticism that would’ve come his way in the next few month," said Neville last April.

"However, Ed Woodward is the trunk of the tree, we now need to go for the roots."

Neville also called for the Glazers to sell their shares in United following the ESL's spectacular demise. "I’ve stayed quiet over the Glazer family on the basis that it’s still Man Utd," said the ex-defender last April.

"I can still watch them play, I can still be happy and sad. If they take dividends out, I can live with that slightly. I can’t live with them attacking every football fan in this country.

"They’ve overstepped the mark. They are scavengers, they need booting out of this football club and out of this country."

Several other Untied legends, including Paul Scholes, also slammed the Glazers and Woodward following the ESL's collapse.

"I'm not sure there ever will be a connection with these owners," ranted the iconic midfielder last April.

"I don't think that's just this club - it's every club who started with billionaire owners, what we brought into here, for them to have a toy. A toy to make money with.

"This is a great club as well to actually have that connection with the owners. The young players this club has, the young local lads in the academy.

Gary Neville is one of Woodward's harshest critics (Paul Dennis/TGS Photo/REX/Shutterstock)

"It's a great chance to have that connection. But as long as there's billionaire owners from America, from other countries, there's never going to be a connection."

Scholes later added: "Look the Glazers, they chose a man to represent them, to run the football club who's brilliant at making money. Funnily enough. Exactly what they want. Brilliant.

"But has the football side been neglected through that. I don't think Ed is a football man. I think the man before, David Gill, great again at making money but he was a football man. He knew what the club needed.

"We've had five or six years since the manager went, choosing the wrong managers. Not giving them time to produce teams. Choosing the wrong type of players for this football club. Which is disappointing.

"It's down to the ownership of billionaire owners who are greedy and just use this club as a toy to make money.

"This club should have the very best of everything. It's the biggest club in the world. It should have the best of everything."

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