David Beckham and Gary Neville swing the axe! Salford City release 17 players after completing takeover of League Two club as five-year plan to reach Championship takes shape

Days after Beckham and Neville completed a takeover of the League Two side as part of a new consortium, Salford have released 17 first-team players. The Lancashire outfit finished the season in eighth and now they are being ruthless as they target promotion next term.

The released players are as follows: Ryan Watson, Matthew Lund, Jon Taylor, Conor McAleny, Jez Davies, Liam Shephard, Marcus Dackers, Callum Morton, James Carr, Ben Collins, Liam Humbles, Sandro Da Costa, Jacob Hamman, Eze Bowen, Matty Cucos, Aiden Lancaster, and Kenny McNair. Including players who have had options triggered to stay, Salford now have 13 players on their books.

The rest of the Class of '92, including United icons Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, and Phil Neville, have been bought out with this takeover - which includes former banker Lord Mervyn Davies and businessman Declan Kelly. This is part of the club's five-year plan to reach the Championship, and if you want proper results, there can be no room for sentimentality. Salford have been stuck in League Two since 2019 after achieving four promotions in five years and now they are upping their efforts to get out of the division.

It is likely that Salford have already begun preparations for the next League Two season as they try and earn promotion to League One in 2026.