Gary Neville has accused his former club’s players of lacking effort and fighting spirit, warning after the draw against Tottenham that they could suffer a heavy defeat against Atletico Madrid in midweek unless they raise their level quickly.
Old Trafford booed its own players twice on Saturday evening. United conceded an equaliser in the final minutes against a ten-man Tottenham, stretching their winless run to four matches across all competitions.
For Neville, the problem is a straightforward absence of fighting spirit. Fans have already begun to question whether the players are willing to run, especially after Youri Tielemans suggested they had not worked much on that side of the game during pre-season.
United’s running numbers have been poor since the start of the season, and the questions have only grown louder. That has prompted Neville to level fresh criticism at the squad.
Speaking on his own podcast, Neville said: “What Manchester United fans will not accept is what they see as a lack of effort, and the truth is that the players are not running enough, nor are they showing the required amount of ferocity, determination and fighting spirit. The booing tells you that they feel deeply frustrated by what they are watching.”
“What we are seeing at the moment is a team that looks as if it is shrinking into itself, and the club has become bigger than the ability of some of the players to deal with the pressure at the present time,” he added.
He continued: “Carrick shaking his head would mean he is asking: are these players putting in the effort for me? What is happening with this group? Have they lost confidence in themselves? Has their focus slipped? Have they started to collapse? What is going on? Because these are not the players I was working with last season.”
A tough test now awaits at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano. United face Atletico Madrid in midweek in the Champions League, despite winning their first match in the league phase.
Atletico sit second in the Spanish league and beat Real Madrid in the capital derby during the week before the international break.
Certain areas of the United line-up are a worry, none more so than midfield. Neville believes it needs addressing.
“As for Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo, I think we have seen enough of this pairing so far,” Neville said. “I am not saying it has to end, because that would be far too hasty a decision, but I have seen enough to believe that this pairing does not have the dynamism required to play for this club in the Premier League. Both are good players on an individual level, but some players do not gel together sufficiently and their characteristics do not suit one another.”
He explained: “When Carlos Baleba played alongside Mainoo, the team seemed to become more lively, but a change has to be made in midfield, and the rest of the players need to recover their balance and deal with the situation seriously.”
“The team will face Atletico Madrid, then travel to Elland Road, and if the players are not at their best mentally and physically, their weaknesses will be exposed,” he added. “And if they do not start to improve, the coming weeks will be worrying.”
On the absence of effort, Neville said: “It is a real cause for concern, especially with the start of a gruelling period during which the team plays a match every three days, and the Champions League will place considerable pressure on it.”
He continued: “Difficult matches await the team, and all the upcoming fixtures will require a strong character and a clear competitive nature, as well as a group of players capable of holding firm and dealing with pressure. And at the moment, we are worried about their ability to go through this run of matches and come out of it in the best possible shape.”
He concluded: “The three-week break was supposed to represent an opportunity to put things back in order, but it is extremely difficult to understand how the team could produce this performance during the first 20 minutes.”