Gary Neville has launched a fresh attack on Manchester United’s spending following defeat to Nottingham Forest.

United failed to maintain their impressive comeback victory over Aston Villa last week at The City Ground, losing 2-1 to Forest despite turning up the pressure after pulling the game back to a scoreless score. 1-1 in the second half.

The result means United could drop to 10th place once the teams around them catch up in terms of games played, with Brighton, Newcastle and Bournemouth all trailing them.

It has been a dismal season for the Red Devils so far, despite spending heavily and receiving the backing of manager Erik ten Hag, who has been unable to take charge so far.

Former United defender Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, questioned the club’s recruitment strategy and the fees paid to some players.

He said: “The £85 million spent on Antony is an amount of money that will be outstanding.” “He’s obviously nowhere near that but even £70m for Rasmus Hojlund is a lot of money, £55m for Mason Mount, £60m for Casemiro on a five-year contract is a lot of money.

‘There are so many deals that you can start looking at with a glass half empty when looking at job postings.

‘Gone are the days when coaches had to travel three or four nights a week to watch other players. They will be like a scout leader or academy head.

‘It’s now a global scouting game with people traveling around the world. Those people must be trusted to go and select the right players.’

Several players have arrived from Ten Hag’s former team, Ajax, including Antony and Lisandro Martinez.

It is rare for managers to have the final say on transfers at the top level in the modern game, Ten Hag will likely have an influence on who comes in, although probably not on the amount spending.

Neville questioned the Dutchman’s role in the player recruitment process and chose Antony’s signing as an example of where he and the club went wrong.

‘Looks like what happened here with United…’ Neville began. The scouts couldn’t come see Antony and sign him for £85 million.

‘It seems they have allowed Erik ten Hag to rule them, which is worrying because you need leadership strength at the top.

‘I blame the football club for bringing him in for £85 million. It wasn’t that boy’s fault that he was brought onto the field as one of the most valuable wingers in the world.

‘He should never have been invited for that money.’