Former Manchester United captain Gary Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of the Red Devils following their recent 3-2 defeat to Nottingham Forest. Neville, speaking on NBC Sports, described the team’s performance as “a mess” and highlighted a lack of consistency and trust in the squad.
The match, which took place at Old Trafford, saw United initially showing some promise with Rasmus Højlund’s equalizer after an early Forest goal. However, defensive errors in the second half allowed Forest to regain the lead and eventually secure the win.
Neville pointed out that frequent changes in the lineup, especially in defense, have left the team without a stable formation. “When you keep changing players and you keep changing your back three and you take five players off, you’re basically saying to all of them that you don’t trust them,” he said. This lack of trust has led to a disjointed and scruffy performance, according to Neville.
He also emphasized the importance of hard work and consistency, noting that Manchester United currently ranks low in the league for distance covered and running stats. “No good team is ever a good team without hard work,” Neville remarked.
Despite the disappointment, Neville believes that picking a consistent starting XI and giving them the faith and trust to perform could help turn things around. He urged the management to build patterns and ideas together with the players to achieve better results.
Neville’s critique comes at a crucial time for Manchester United as they aim to bounce back from this defeat and improve their position in the Premier League.
Manchester United performance and stats
Manchester United is currently 12th in the Europa League with 9 points.
In the last 5 games, it has won twice and drew 3 times. In its last match, Manchester United won 3-2 against Bodø / Glimt.
It has a positive goal difference after scoring 10 goals and conceding 7.
Manchester United will play the next match in Europa League against Viktoria Plzeň on Thursday 12th of December in Plzeň. The prediction is Manchester United winning the match.
