Mason Mount loses Gary Neville's support as Manchester United plan a summer shake-up

Manchester United have already secured Champions League football and sit third in the Premier League, but Gary Neville still thinks the summer needs a harder call. He wants Mason Mount sold, or at least used as part of the thinking around a fifth signing, rather than treated as a fixed starter in the next version of the squad.

Why Neville wants Mount to become part of the solution

Neville's view is blunt enough. He said: "Look, if you could then maybe trade Mason Mount for someone else who maybe can play in and out and can be a bit more flexible across the midfield and forward line then I would say go for a fifth."

That is not a full dismissal of Mount, and Neville made that clear too: "I am surprised about the Mason Mount one, to be honest with you. For the reported £60million fee… he is a very good player, that isn't a question for me."

The numbers still explain why the conversation is happening. Mount has made 69 appearances since joining from Chelsea, but only 20 appearances in all competitions this season. In league terms he has 20 Premier League appearances and 845 minutes, with 3 goals in all competitions.

That is not the return of an established week-to-week starter, and Neville is arguing from that reality rather than from hype. If United can turn him into a more flexible player who fits several roles, he thinks that makes sense as part of a broader rebuild.

United's wider rebuild is still the bigger issue

Neville did not frame Mount as the main problem. He framed him as one possible lever in a squad that still needs work, saying: "I think United need a left-back for next season because Luke Shaw has played every game this year and he may struggle. They need a centre-back, 100 per cent, and they need two midfield players."

He also said after the 3-2 win over Liverpool that United should have been more ruthless, adding: "They should have killed that game and put Liverpool to sleep because they were nowhere near this football match."

That is the useful part of Neville's view. He is not suggesting United are one move away from being done. Even with Champions League football back in place, he is looking at a squad that still needs defensive cover and more midfield options, and he thinks a Mount sale could help fund a fifth signing rather than protect a player whose place is not secure.

The only caution is that Mount should not be written off as a failure just because Neville would shop him. The former United defender is still calling him a very good player. But his argument is plain enough: if the club wants a more balanced squad for next season, Mount is one of the names he would put on the table.