Gary Neville puts Harry Kane in 'dream' trio of Man Utd signings for summer transfer window

Speaking on a Sky Sports fan Q&A, Neville distinguished between the "dream" scenario and what he believes is achievable in the current market. He stated: "If you said to me a top centre-half and two good midfield players, that’s what this squad needs right now. To be fair, it does need other things after that, but I would say, to me, they dealt with the wide areas. They’ve got Amad Diallo, Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, Mason Mount who can play there a little bit, so I’m actually okay with that. I think No.10s with Mount and Bruno Fernandes, Bruno plays there every week, he’s reliable, so I’d say there’s no problem there. It’s two central midfield players and definitely a centre-half, we need a top centre-half. Dream world, it would be Marquinhos, Declan Rice and Harry Kane. Realistic, I’m going [Sandro] Tonali, [Elliot] Anderson and I’m going [Ezri] Konsa."

The endorsement of Konsa comes as the 28-year-old continues to impress at Aston Villa. Having made 229 appearances for the West Midlands club, Konsa has established himself as one of the most reliable defenders in the top flight, helping Villa push for Champions League qualification again this term.

In midfield, Neville has looked to Newcastle for a key reinforcement in Tonali. The Italian is high on his list alongside Anderson, with the latter already reportedly a top target for those at Old Trafford. However, United face stiff competition from rivals Manchester City, who are also believed to be monitoring the Nottingham Forest midfielder's situation closely as the window approaches.

Despite being 12 points off the pace this season, Neville is adamant that United are positioned to close the gap at the summit next term. He believes that external factors, including potential managerial changes and off-field disciplinary issues at other clubs, could open the door for United to make a leap forward.

Neville explained: "Liverpool aren’t ahead of them at the moment in the pecking order, neither are Chelsea, neither are Aston Villa. But Manchester United haven’t had to cope with Champions League football or cup competitions this season, so there’s a massive advantage there. However, I think it will come down to how does this Arsenal team deal with winning or losing the league? We don’t know what’s going to happen there. That could be a case of if they have won it, can they win it back-to-back? Difficult, if they haven’t won it, how are they going to recover and what’s going to happen there?"

The former United captain also highlighted the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the blue side of Manchester. With questions remaining over the long-term future of Pep Guardiola and the looming resolution of the Premier League's 115 charges against the club, Neville suggests the hierarchy at Old Trafford must be ready to capitalise on any instability at the Etihad.

"The big question is here [at Manchester City]. Two things… Pep Guardiola and the 115 charges. What’s going to happen with those charges? Are they going to get a big points deduction if found guilty of some of the more serious offences? So they are two big questions," Neville said. "If Manchester City were to get a big points deduction or Pep Guardiola leaves, and you’ve got Arsenal reeling from not winning it, I would say you are in with a right chance. United would have an outside chance but things would need to go their way."