“Pogba had pedigree when he signed for United” – Gary Neville says Manchester United star has ‘lot to do’ to justify price tag

Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville exclaimed his surprise at reports of Chelsea spending €127 million on signing Enzo Fernandez from SL Benfica.

He gawked at the price tag on Twitter. On that, another user replied that Neville only does that when others splash the cash but stays quiet during Manchester United's financial forays.

The former Manchester United defender responded by saying that Antony does have to work his way up to his price tag, but Pogba had already shown his value when he was signed by United.

This is how the conversation went. Initially, Neville tweeted:

"Are Chelsea paying €127m for Enzo Fernandez? That’s one hell of a price. A very good player but bloody hell!"

A Twitter user by the name Craig responded:

"Didn’t see you concerned with the price Antony went for. Pogba etc. Alright when you lot do it, but nobody else can spend."

Neville admitted that Antony has a point to prove and tweeted:

"Agree with Anthony (he’s a lot to do to get to 95m price tag ). Pogba had pedigree when he signed for United, so not comparable."

United signed Paul Pogba for €105 million in the summer of 2016 and paid €95 million for Antony in 2022.

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Manchester United and Chelsea taking different paths halfway into the season

The Blues are floundering under Graham Potter. The new Chelsea boss made a good start to life at Stamford Bridge but has now won just once in five games.

His team went into the 2022 FIFA World Cup on the back of three consecutive defeats. The Blues began the new year with a 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest. They face Manchester City next in the league, where they will attempt to revive their quest to finish in the top four.

In comparison, Erik ten Hag's Manchester United are continuing to improve after a poor season last time out. They have registered key wins this campaign against teams like Liverpool and Arsenal. Their forward players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial are coming back into form. United take on Bournemouth in their next game.