Legendary former presenter Des Lynam believes Gary Neville is the only man who can change the fortunes at Manchester United.
Lynam, 82, first floated the idea in 2020, when the Red Devils, under manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, were seven years away from their last league title under Sir Alex Ferguson.
Five years later, the situation at Old Trafford has only gotten worse. The club sacked Erik ten Hag in October and replaced him with impressive Portuguese manager Ruben Amorim.
But he, like his predecessors, has found it difficult to get to Manchester, leading a run of seven defeats and two draws in his 16 games in charge, which has seen the team drop to 13th in the Premier League.
Lynam, who was ever-present on British television screens in the 1980s and 1990s and hosted Match of the Day for 11 years, insisted Neville has the qualities to return United to their former glories.
And he urged the former Red Devils captain to put aside his business ventures and media responsibilities to wake up the sleeping giant.
Gary Neville has been urged to return to football management and transform the fortunes of his former club.
Legendary former presenter Des Lynam's first plea to Neville came in 2020, but he again insisted the former defender is the only man for the United job.
United have not been involved in a title race since their last triumph in 2013 and have fallen into the bottom half this season.
“Neville would still be the best man for the job,” he wrote in The telegraph. “He has Manchester United blood running through his veins. He is deeply hurt by the current situation at the club.
“He has a powerful personality and would have a strong presence in the locker room. Oh, and money men better watch out, Neville is a shrewd businessman.
“My petition to him was over three years ago, but with the scowling men temporarily installed in the United dugout, Neville is still the best candidate, in my opinion.”
Lynam seemed unfazed by Neville's only managerial position at Valencia, a disastrous period that fortunately lasted only four months.
Neville accepted an offer to coach owner and close friend Peter Lim's LaLiga team, but the Sky Sports pundit won just three of his 16 league games. During his tenure, his team was beaten 7-0 by Barcelona and lost 11 of their 28 games in total before a 2-0 home defeat to Celta Vigo proved to be his last game on the bench.
The former right-back has since revealed that he struggled to manage the game from the touchline and lacked the ability to change things tactically during clashes. Furthermore, he could not bear to face top-level coaches such as Ernesto Valverde and Diego Simeone, who made him feel “beaten” mentally.
“After a couple of months working in Valencia, I remember looking in the mirror one morning and thinking I looked bad,” he said on the Stick to Football podcast last year.
“I remember we played Athletic Bilbao three times, in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and in a league match, and Ernesto Valverde was the coach. He played a different system than I thought he would use and then he changed during the match , and I remember thinking that I was nowhere near that level.
Neville endured a disastrous four-month spell in charge of LaLiga side Valencia a decade ago.
Results have not improved at Old Trafford since Rubén Amorim arrived at the club in November
Neville's Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher ridiculed Lynam's comments on social media.
The former Liverpool defender responded to Lynam's column with a series of laughing emojis
“I felt hugely inferior to him because I had a hard time controlling and watching the game from field level, especially compared to how I watch the game on the porch.
“You stand on the touchline and you're watching a game where the only thing you can see are your legs, and how you think about the game tactically or how the coaches see things, I have no idea because I remember thinking I had no idea what was happening.
'Seeing Valverde was the first time I felt like I was miles away and then I trained against Diego Simeone, and that day I felt like he was hitting me in every way: with his tactics, his intimidation and his gestures.'
Lynam's new plea to the 49-year-old caught the attention of his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher. The former Liverpool defender took to social media and ridiculed the suggestion with a series of laughing emojis.
Lynam added: “It is almost impossible to manage the team and the club, but if there was someone who could try, I think they would have the courage and knowledge to face the challenge.”
'I used a quote when I tried to push Neville back into football management. It comes from former Cuban leader Fidel Castro. “Men do not shape destiny, destiny produces man for each moment.” Outside your comfort zone is where the magic happens.'
Although Neville is unlikely to take the reins at his former club even if given the chance, he has worked with Red Devils co-owners Ineos on several projects, including the club's stadium plans.
Neville has been a vocal critic of what is happening at his old stomping ground and has not been shy about criticizing a succession of United teams who have failed to live up to the club's standards.
The current generation secured a much-needed victory over Rangers in the Europa League on Thursday night following their weekend defeat to Brighton. Amorim's team visits Fulham on Sunday and could fall to 15th place in the standings if the results do not favor them.