Incoming Man United chief exec Arnold 'reaches out to Gary Neville'

Incoming Manchester United chief executive Richard Arnold ‘reaches out to Gary Neville as he looks to build bridges’ with former Old Trafford players who have been critical of the club and Ed Woodward in pundit work

• Richard Arnold takes over as Manchester United chief executive on December 1
• Pundit Gary Neville has been fiercely critical of predecessor Ed Woodward 
• Arnold is set to reach out to other ex-United players in media like Paul Scholes 

Manchester United’s incoming chief executive Richard Arnold is looking to build bridges with ex-players such as Gary Neville, who have been fiercely critical of the club since moving into punditry.

Arnold will take over from Ed Woodward on February 1 and, according to The Athletic, is already looking to establish a smoother relationship with club legends who are now authoritative voices in the media.

Arnold has reportedly already reached out to Neville, with Paul Scholes also expected to hold talks with him in the near future.

Richard Arnold takes over as chief executive at Manchester United from February 1

Arnold has reportedly reached out to Gary Neville ahead of taking over in his new role 

There are a number of other ex-United players in punditry such as Rio Ferdinand, Roy Keane and Owen Hargreaves.

But it is Neville who has been the most scathing of the direction United have headed in over the past few years under the ownership of the Glazer family and he has repeatedly scrutinised the role of Woodward on Sky Sports.

Last April, when it emerged Woodward would eventually be stepping aside from his role at United, Neville launched a stinging attack on him and suggested the announcement of his departure came from his role in the doomed Super League proposals.

‘We obviously don’t know why the timing is now,’ Neville said on Sky Sports. ‘The leeches could’ve thrown him under the bus or it could’ve been the sensible thing has happened.

‘Ed Woodward knew it would get hot in the kitchen and he had to get out of there.

‘Every single executive who sits at the Premier League table, on these UEFA and FIFA committees, they need throwing out of that club. There is no way they can be trusted.

‘Ed Woodward knew his time in football was finished. Ed Woodward is the trunk of the tree, we now need to go for the roots.’ 

Neville has been a vociferous critic of United’s direction under the guidance of Ed Woodward

Woodward announced last year that he will leave United, with Arnold now taking the reins 

Joel Glazer (pictured with Arnold) has admitted he listens to what Neville says – good or bad

Joel Glazer, United’s executive vice-chairman, admitted in a fans forum last year that he listens to what Neville says about the club – good or bad.

‘I know Gary has been, to say the least, pretty hard on us, and it’s okay. Everybody has their views,’ he said, according to the Manchester Evening News.

‘There’s two ways to look at it; you can just shut the person out because they’re not saying something nice about you and ignore it. Or you can pause, you can listen.

‘People always have good points, good ideas and you have to take them to heart. You can’t ignore people. We can’t ignore things, we have got to listen. You can’t necessarily accomplish everything, it’s not always that simple.

‘Sometimes things are a little more complex, but Gary’s a legend. Gary did so much for this club. Gary has good ideas, good thoughts. And they’re heard.’ 

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