Gary Neville says Manchester United’s midfield is a ‘massive problem’ following their heavy 3-0 defeat in the Manchester derby, with Manuel Ugarte ‘not good enough’ after yet another frustrating display under Ruben Amorim.
United registered their worst start to a Premier League campaign for 33 years on Sunday afternoon, with four points collected from as many games, while Amorim faced heavy criticism for his rigid 3-4-2-1 system.
The Portuguese tactician was resolute in defence of his playing style once again, insisting that United would rather ‘change the man’ in charge than see him adapt, following yet another disappointing result.
While Luke Shaw and Benjamin Sesko also drew criticism after the full-time whistle, Neville said United’s biggest issues lie in midfield, where Ugarte and Bruno Fernandes started in a double pivot on Sunday.
Gary Neville Slams Manuel Ugarte
Man Utd Manuel Ugarte
Neville, speaking on the Gary Neville podcast, claimed midfield is a ‘massive problem’ for United following their 3-0 defeat to Manchester City, with Ugarte struggling to convince in his first Premier League start of the season:
“The midfield is a massive problem, and we've known that. United fans know that.
“Ugarte And Fernandes today, I think you mentioned it early, about an hour before the game, that Ugarte and Fernandes played in this fixture last year from start to finish, and United won the game, but Ugarte is not good enough.”
Ugarte spent 80 minutes on the pitch on Sunday, making 43 of 48 accurate passes (90%), winning five of his eight duels, committing two fouls and losing possession eight times.
The Uruguayan midfielder was replaced by Casemiro for the final 10 minutes as United pushed for a consolation goal but were unable to break Gianluigi Donnarumma in goal on his debut.
Talking on Sky Sports following the full-time whistle, Neville also questioned why United did not address their midfield during the summer transfer window, despite spending almost £200m on reinforcements up front.
United welcomed the likes of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Sesko, with the Slovenian forward making his first Premier League start on Sunday, registering one shot on goal in his 80 minutes on the field.