Gary Neville has launched a furious attack on Manchester United’s players following their disappointing draw against Fulham, describing parts of their performance as an “absolute disgrace” and warning that their current defensive problems could seriously hurt Michael Carrick.
United needed an 89th-minute equaliser from Matheus Cunha to rescue a point at Craven Cottage after Lisandro Martinez put through his own net in the 63rd minute.
The result leaves Manchester United down in 12th place after five Premier League games, with just five points from their opening matches. It is their joint-lowest points tally at this stage of a Premier League season, matching the 2014/15 campaign.
With pressure already beginning to grow around Carrick, Neville believes changing the manager is not the answer.
Instead, the former United defender believes the biggest problem is the balance of the team and the lack of defensive work from several attacking players.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville was particularly critical of United’s performance at the beginning of the second half.
“That was the worst 15 minutes I’ve ever seen from Manchester United,” Neville said.
“I’ve never seen a team walk out of possession as much as that. Michael’s got to stop defending them. I understand why he’s doing it because he’s loyal and wants his players to work for him, but he has to be honest with them.
“I called them mannequins. They were absolutely mannequins.”
Neville was shocked by how passive United looked without the ball, claiming there was very little movement or urgency from the players as Fulham controlled possession.
He pointed out that Fulham managed 46 passes before creating an early chance and questioned how many sequences of 10 or more passes the hosts were allowed to complete.
According to Neville, the upcoming international break could give Carrick some much-needed time to address the problems.
However, he believes the manager may have to make some difficult decisions, particularly in midfield and in the team’s defensive structure.
“It’s a great time for the international break because there needs to be a rebalance,” Neville explained.
“He’s got too many players in the team now. I actually wish he could play those attacking players, but they’re going to kill him defensively.”
Neville believes the problem goes beyond United’s back four.
He argued that Bryan Mbeumo and Marcus Rashford are often too wide and too high when United lose possession, leaving gaps in midfield. He also questioned whether the midfield combination has enough pace and defensive protection.
He suggested that Carlos Baleba could eventually become an important part of the midfield as Carrick looks for more balance.
Bruno Fernandes, meanwhile, was also mentioned by Neville as someone who can sometimes drift out of position, while Matheus Cunha has similar freedom when United have the ball.
The former United defender believes that having several players who are much more comfortable with the ball than without it is creating a major problem for Carrick.
“It would be great to see them score loads of goals and maybe concede one or two and win games,” Neville said.
“But there is going to have to be a reset from a defensive point of view because there are far too many of them walking on the pitch who don’t think they have players who can do the ugly part of the game.”
Neville admitted that he is normally very careful about accusing footballers of lacking effort because he considers it one of the harshest criticisms that can be made of a player.
But he felt United crossed that line against Fulham.
“That first 15 minutes of the second half, Manchester United without the ball, and generally for the first 15 minutes, were an absolute disgrace,” he said.
“Nowhere near good enough without the ball. Nowhere near good enough.”
For Carrick, the international break now provides an opportunity to address those weaknesses. But Neville’s comments make it clear that he believes the manager needs a significant improvement from his players, particularly when United do not have possession.
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