Alan Shearer has been critical of Manchester United in recent years, but he has been impressed by their attitude over the last few weeks, saying they are now 'playing with more freedom'.
Alan Shearer in front of a TV camera.
TV pundit Alan Shearer has praised Man Utd's recent performances.(Image: SmartFrame/Every Second Media)
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Alan Shearer, a long-time critic of Manchester United, has confessed that the team's recent performances have won him over. But the Premier League icon reckons there's still one thing that needs to improve.
Despite a rocky start to the Premier League season - with three early losses - United have since found their stride with victories against Sunderland, bitter rivals Liverpool and Brighton. Although they had to make do with a draw at Nottingham Forest, they're now on a four-match unbeaten run ahead of next weekend's journey to Tottenham.
Newcastle United hero Shearer has previously been unsparing in critique of players such as Alejandro Garnacho and Marcus Rashford. "For me, there are too many bad eggs in that Man Utd team... Too many bad attitudes," he declared following United's concerning 2-0 loss to Newcastle in December 2023.
"In [Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Diogo Dalot's] defence, they've got no help whatsoever from Garnacho and Rashford. Rashford didn't look at it at all - didn't look interested.
"It happened so many times. It's alright when things are going well for you, you can get your feet on the ball, play and pick your head up when things are nice and rosy.
"But, when it's not going for you, when you're a bit tired and you've got to roll your sleeves up, there's not enough characters in that team."
However, fortunes have since turned around for the Reds, and Shearer has also noted that their attitude is, maybe, one of their main assets. "It's too early to say they're back, but they're certainly playing with more freedom," Shearer commented on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Bryan Mbeumo and Murillo battle for possession.
Man Utd had to settle for a point against Forest.
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"You can see that they're enjoying things a lot more, which is easy to say when they're winning games, I guess. But they've had to put themselves in the position, and they have done, and they've now got to keep it going, and keep the consistency. I think a bit of everything.
"I think they've worked hard to block out the noise - which must have been difficult - because you understand that they were getting hammered from every corner, and maybe rightly so at times.
"But their attitude more than anything [has impressed him]. I think it's been a difficult period for them, but the way they've come through that."
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