Manchester United legend Gary Neville has explained why his old club would benefit from signing Thiago Alcantara.
The future of the Bayern Munich midfielder continues to be the subject of speculation, with rivals Liverpool interested in signing him.
United have been linked too in recent weeks, with Liverpool apparently stalling over the transfer fee for the Spain international, though MEN Sport understands that Thiago is not a priority target for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
United are blessed with solid midfield options, with Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Scott McTominay, Fred, Nemanja Matic and new signing Donny van de Beek all on the books.
However, Neville believes that Thiago would still be a worthwhile signing and he can't understand why they don't appear to be in for the Spaniard
"United weren’t really strongly linked with him and I can see why with Pogba and Fernandes. But watching him play in a two-man midfield for Bayern Munich I don’t think he needs to play in a forward role," Neville told 90min.
"I think he can play deeper and United’s players in that position – Fred, [Scott] McTominay, [Nemanja] Matic – have all done okay. But if [Thiago] was there... I think he’s clever enough to intercept, read the game and do the things that a holding midfielder can.
"You don’t need to be six feet tall, tackle and quick to play in that position anymore. You just need to be intelligent and understand the game, and he’s got that in abundance.
"I don’t know why United wouldn’t try and get him, particularly if he was going to Liverpool because it would strengthen them."
