'Massive pressure' - Gary Neville delivers verdict on Man Utd ahead of new season as he reveals his hope for Erik ten Hag and reveals 'mistakes' prediction about INEOS after major squad revamp

The Red Devils succumbed to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League table last term but an FA Cup triumph over derby rivals Manchester City saved Ten Hag's skin at Old Trafford. But the manager is well aware that he must get his troops to a strong start in the English top flight to win the trust of the fans and more importantly of the INEOS sporting hierarchy.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Co. have backed the Dutch tactician with his preferred signings, with the likes of Leny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui arriving to strengthen a leaky defence, while Joshua Zirkzee is expected to add more firepower in attack to complement Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund. And now the onus is on Ten Hag to bring out the best from his resources and re-establish United as one of the title contenders alongside City, Arsenal and Liverpool.

Neville believes United must start on the right note to keep the pressure on Ten Hag under check.

"I hope Erik ten Hag will still be the Manchester United manager come the end of the season," he said in an interview with Sky Sports.

"There's no doubt that if United have a really poor start and the results are the same as last year that Ten Hag will come under massive pressure very quickly. But I am actually quietly optimistic about Manchester United. I just think the signings that they are bringing in are of a different profile from what they have bought in the past.

"The group of people they have now at the club, from owner down to sporting director, will not make the same mistakes the club have made in the last three or four seasons. They have wasted money and made signings that you knew would bring pressure to them at some point. The profile of the players they are bringing in now is right. They need a younger, quicker, athletic and more energetic football team, and I think that is what you are going to see from Manchester United this year."

Although Neville is still concerned with the injury to Luke Shaw and Hojlund's long-term fitness, he argues that United are still "better" off than last season with INEOS bringing in the right people to restructure the think tank at the club.

"There is still an imbalance in some parts of the team where they need to get better," he said. "There are worries about Luke Shaw, who is now injured again, at left-back. Who is going to play there now? There's also potentially issues up front if Rasmus Hojlund's injury issues continue. Manchester United are obviously short up there.

"But just generally, I do think they are in a better situation than they were last year, and hopefully the change at the very top of the club with INEOS, which everyone has wanted for years, can bring more sensible decision-making."

All eyes will be on Ten Hag when he rallies his men against Fulham in the Premier League curtain raiser at Old Trafford on Friday evening. A win over the Cottagers will be a massive boost in confidence but if they drop points, Ten Hag will be under the scanner once again.