Gary Neville Slams Yaya Toure, Demands Manchester United Keep David De Gea

Former Manchester United right-back Gary Neville has told Manchester City to get rid of Yaya Toure, a player he believes carried out a "complete dereliction of [his] duty" during Sunday's derby fixture at Old Trafford.

Neville also thinks United should do everything they can to maintain the presence of David De Gea, who is currently linked with a move to Real Madrid, reported by Guillem Balague of Sky Sports.

Speaking on Sky Sports' Super Sunday, Neville pinpointed Toure as one of City's weak links, reported by Michael Gadd of the MailOnline: "There are some weeds in the garden and you've got to get them out of the changing room pretty quick. You cannot carry passengers."

Jon Super/Associated Press

Neville zoned in on Yaya:

"

He does that much for the team in an attacking sense you live with maybe the consequences of that defensively. But when the balance tips to a point when going forward isn't quite as effective as it once was, you've got to do something different because the defensive side is poor.

If I was a player in that dressing room looking at him in central midfield thinking you're not chasing back, you're not running around, you're not sprinting for the ball. There might be a physical problem that he cannot do it, let alone if he doesn't want to do it. I think there's definitely going to be some changes.

"

United won the clash 4-2, with Toure taken out of the game by Marouane Fellaini. Although City started brightly and looked comfortable with a one-goal lead inside 15 minutes, Fellaini's influence grew as he moved from the left wing toward the centre, acting as United's battering ram. Toure was forced to watch his every move and consequently became anonymous.

Jon Super/Associated Press

Aside from failing to grasp Fellaini, who scored United's second, Toure decided not to chase Juan Mata as the Spaniard broke through for the third. He appeared strangely immobile for a player who usually contributes to all phases of play. Toure has been one of the driving forces behind the club's recent success, so his struggling form is symbolic of a team beginning to disintegrate.

Phil Neville, Gary's brother, told Match of the Day 2 that Manuel Pellegrini's tactics left Toure no chance of putting in a decent shift, reported by BBC Sport:

"

Sometimes when you watch Toure, his body language is not great and that is always something people pick up when they criticise his work rate. 

But I know from experience that when you are continually getting outnumbered in midfield, you cannot do anything about it—it doesn't matter how hard you work. Nobody was questioning Toure when City were on top in the first few minutes. It was their team that fell apart, not an individual.

"

ESPN FC provided another snippet from Gary:

De Gea posted a solid performance, although he only had one major save to make. This came when Jesus Navas broke through on goal early on, and the Spanish goalkeeper made himself big to stop Navas' effort racing under his leg. More impressively, De Gea filled the sweeper-keeper role brilliantly, halting Sergio Aguero and others with quick sprints off his line when City knocked the ball long.

As reported by Sky Sports, Neville believes United must retain his services:

"

United need to try and keep him. If they’re not going to keep him, there’s only one club you can think of that is going to come in for him. United have got to take someone off them. He has settled down now and is performing fantastically well. He’s been the best player for United all season, and he’s a candidate for player of the season.

"

De Gea has had busier, tougher matches this season, yet against City, he dominated his box like world-class goalkeepers should. Hints of Manuel Neuer and Hugo Lloris filtered into his play as United consolidated third place.

He has developed into a leader this season. B/R UK's Ryan Bailey and Matteo Bonetti recently discussed how such players could help United win the Premier League trophy again:

Champions League football will likely be key to retaining De Gea.

It's too early to suggest power has shifted from the Etihad Stadium, particularly as we're likely to see two very different sides next season. However, with the likes of Fellaini outshining Yaya and De Gea impressing against the best, United fans will suddenly be feeling very optimistic about the future.