Gary Neville Exclusive: Man Utd “Maybe Needed” Europa League Final Loss, His Message to Mikel Arteta & Specsavers’ Best Worst Pitch Campaign

Man Utd’s Europa League Heartbreak: A Needed Wake-Up Call?

In an honest and revealing exclusive, Gary Neville opened up about Manchester United’s dismal 2024-25 campaign, the sting of their Europa League final loss, and why, perhaps, that defeat might just be the jolt the club so desperately needed.

United finished a woeful 15th in the Premier League, their lowest finish since the 1973-74 relegation season. That alone was a cause for concern, but the real gut punch came in Bilbao. Facing Tottenham in the Europa League final, Ruben Amorim’s men had a shot at redemption. Win, and they’d be back in the Champions League. Instead, they fell short, and now face a season without European football for the first time in over a decade.

Neville didn’t hide his disappointment, but his reaction was telling. “I was in a pub watching it. I didn’t react at the end of the game. It sort of, to be fair, was something that felt quite expected,” he admitted. “Maybe it’s the low that the club needed.”

Neville’s Verdict: “We’re Not OK.”

Tottenham Hotspur v Manchester United – UEFA Europa League Final 2025

Neville, a club legend turned pundit, has never shied away from speaking uncomfortable truths. This time was no different.

“The club has made a lot of poor decisions over the last 10 years,” he said. “The financial stresses that this will bring, but also the performance in a big game like that… it’s too much for them, and it’s too much for everybody at the club at this moment in time.”

He continued, with concern in his voice: “You win a final and get into the Champions League, sometimes you tell yourself, ‘yeah, we’re OK.’ We’re not OK. The club’s not OK. It needs drastic change.”

Neville believes Ruben Amorim now has a mountain to climb: “He’s going to need to do quite a lot of work in changing and adapting that squad… He’s collected a group of players who’ve had a difficult time before he came, even more difficult since he arrived.”

Yet amid the bleak assessment, Gary Neville still sees hope. “Fans are patient. They love the club. They love the players. They love their manager. They recognise that one day, Manchester United will return to success, but it could be quite a while off yet.”

Neville to Arteta: Time to Deliver Trophies

Gary Neville Specsavers

When asked what message he’d give Mikel Arteta if he were a part of Arsenal’s ownership, Gary Neville struck a supportive yet pointed tone.

“To be fair, I don’t think you need to give Mikel Arteta a message. He’s a smart guy, a good coach. They just haven’t got over the line,” he said.

Arsenal have now gone five seasons without silverware and have finished second in the league three years running. Gary Neville referenced the comments of Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice at the end of the season as evidence that the team knows exactly what needs to change.

“They said quite clearly it’s not good enough. We want it today to be about a title, a celebration, and it’s not. We haven’t won a trophy again, and we need to come back next season and do it.”

Neville added: “We can’t be sat here in twelve months doing another interview where we’re talking about a team that’s nearly achieved again. You have to win if you’re Arsenal Football Club. If you’re Manchester United, you have to win trophies. That’s the expectation.”

Specsavers’ Best Worst Pitch Campaign: A Cause Close to Home

Outside the world of elite football, Gary Neville is championing a campaign that takes him back to his roots – Specsavers’ “Best Worst Pitch” initiative.

Having seen first-hand the challenges facing lower-tier clubs through his role at Salford City, Gary Neville is passionate about supporting grassroots football. The Specsavers initiative aims to help 50 local clubs by providing new line marking machines, paint, GPS pitch mapping, and essential maintenance training.

“Players of my age, particularly, have obviously been developed through what would be part pitches, Sunday league games, playing for schools… and we understand the challenges of games being called off and pitches being under pressure,” Gary Neville explained.

“These are all volunteers trying to keep the game flowing. The idea of Specsavers contributing towards equipment and training is just something that tapped right into what I like.”

Neville emphasized the importance of grassroots football to the fabric of the sport: “Without grassroots football, the game is dead. We all started at school pitches or Saturday/Sunday teams. You don’t just turn up at Manchester United or Chelsea as an academy player without having been developed from four, five, six years old.”

“Football is the largest participation sport in this country, and most of those players play amateur level. It’s the heartbeat of communities. So it’s important that we don’t forget where Premier League football comes from.”

Looking Ahead: Reset, Rebuild, and Return

As Gary Neville made clear throughout the interview, Manchester United need more than just tactical tweaks. The defeat in Bilbao, while painful, may have stripped away any lingering delusions of competence.

“The club needs a reset,” he concluded. “A proper one.”

Meanwhile, his words for Arteta and Arsenal were a mixture of empathy and expectation. The Gunners have made progress, but progress without trophies will never be enough at a club of that stature.

And for grassroots football, Gary Neville’s commitment shows that his vision for the game extends far beyond the floodlights of Old Trafford. From the pitch at Salford to the schools and parks across Britain, he’s advocating for the health of the sport from the bottom up.

It’s rare to hear a former footballer speak so candidly, with heart and insight, across the entire footballing spectrum. But then again, Gary Neville has never been one to mince his words. And perhaps, that’s exactly what English football needs more of right now.