Man Utd will hire 'best in class' transfer specialists, insists Gary Neville

Gary Neville believes that Manchester United will take time to ensure they build a world-class transfer department for next season.

Jose Mourinho was sensationally sacked by United on Tuesday following two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford, with the Red Devils way off the pace for a top-four finish - let alone a Premier League title challenge.

Mourinho had previously been backed with a sizeable transfer fund to challenge for top honours, but United failed to deliver a top-class centre-back in the summer window due to doubts over the coach's targets.

United's chief executive Ed Woodward has been the main target of criticism from fans who believe the club has been missed out on potential signings and paid over the odds for players in recent windows, while Mourinho made it clear on multiple occasions that the club's struggles this season had been down to their failure to back him in the market.

While former United captain Neville has questioned whether the current crop of players are good enough to fulfil the club's ambitions, he believes caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer must now gather as much information to give to the club in order to recruit properly in the summer.

"Ole's job in the next six months is to be head coach, head scout, head of recruitment and making sure he feeds back really good information into the recruitment department of what the club needs," he told Sky Sports' Gary Neville Podcast.

"My concern over the last three to four years is who has been signing the players.

"That needs cleaning up and I am certain the club in the next six months will appoint the right people who are best in class to run that side of things.

"Manchester United have to start getting it right otherwise they will struggle, but it was a good start yesterday."

Standard Sport understands that Mauricio Pochettino is top of Woodward's wishlist to become United's permanent manager next summer, while Peter Schmeichel has thrown his hat into the ring for the director of football role - a position which does not yet exist at the club, but one that the Glazers are keen to create.