‘Very different to Wrexham’ – Gary Neville and David Beckham WON’T pour millions into Salford as they outline ‘project’
MANCHESTER UNITED legend Gary Neville outlined the plan he and David Beckham have for Salford City after their recent takeover of the club.
Neville and Beckham, both 50, led a new consortium and gained control of the League Two side earlier this month by buying out shares from fellow Class of 92 icons Nicky Butt, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Phil Neville.
The United greats have teamed up with businessman Declan Kelly and Lawn Tennis Association chairman Lord Mervyn Davies after major backer Peter Lim stepped away last year.
The former England internationals have big plans as they are determined to get the League Two outfit in the Championship within the next five years.
Ever since their arrival in 2014, Salford got promoted from the Northern Premier League Division One North to the EFL in five years, but they have remained in the fourth tier ever since.
Neville told The Overlap Fan Debate, on behalf of Sky Bet: "Shares in a football club for most owners, other than the passion and the feelings you get from it, you're a reliability from an investment perspective more than an asset.
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"We've put money into Salford and in January we just thought we needed to get a group of people involved, who we could trust.
"Me and Becks [Beckham] agreed that we would put money in for the next four or five years, which is a commitment we've all made.
"Salford City won't be changing the budget – to reverse out of the model we already have, you need two or three years.
"You can't go from investing to becoming sustainable that quick – you need to look at players' contracts for three years and you've generally got a model that you've built which you can't come away from."
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Successful celebrity-owned clubs have risen to prominence in recent years and many are hoping Salford will follow suit.
Wrexham have earned three successive promotions from the National League to the Championship under Hollywood celebrity owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds.
And Birmingham won the League One title this season and will join the Red Dragons in the second division with NFL legend Tom Brady as minority owner.
However, Neville is adamant things will be "very different" compared to Wrexham and Birmingham.
The Man Utd hero insists millions will not be poured but instead he and Beckham will focus on turning the club into a "good football project" that will be very close to the local community.
Neville added: "We just need to change the model of the club slightly, in fact quite a bit. It's very different than Wrexham and Birmingham - you're talking about millions going into those clubs.
"That's not what we're looking to do with Salford. We want Salford to be a good football project.
"Salford City has the cheapest ticket prices in the EFL. On day one, I committed to the fans that we would be the most affordable and accessible football club. I'd rather go down than do that [be unsustainable]."
