Gary Neville's dream Manchester United signing reminds them of their biggest transfer task

After the last-gasp drama at Brentford, Manchester United needed to shake off that hammer blow against Chelsea. Plenty of heads were shaking after a frantic stoppage-time defeat.

United were leading in the 99^th minute and somehow ended up losing. Conceding goals in quick succession has become an issue for the club and their game management was non-existent in stoppage time on Thursday night.

With INEOS providing new leadership off the field, it begs the question: who are the leaders on the field?

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez possess leadership qualities but persistent injury problems have drastically hindered United’s ability to ride waves of pressure. Varane once again hobbled off injured last night, with his replacement Jonny Evans also withdrawn early.

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Harry Maguire has enjoyed a renaissance this season in the absence of the captain’s armband, which weighed far too heavy on him when given the responsibility of leading the club. Maguire can be an asset to United if he remains at the club beyond the summer, but Ten Hag stripping him of the armband makes you wonder whether he's the leader United need.

Bruno Fernandes is a conundrum. He has a thirst for success and tries to drive his team forward. He’s passionate but cuts a frustrated figure when games pass him by.

A man who knows a lot about leadership is Gary Neville, and when he was discussing United on his Stick to Football podcast, he made clear the type of player United need.

“I would say (Virgil) Van Dijk. I just think Van Dijk would bring dominance and presence in the team that we haven’t got,” he said.

Other than one major