Former Newcastle United and England captain Alan Shearer has had his say on Manchester United's manner of working as they look to appoint a manager for the rest of the season
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer offered a blunt assessment of Manchester United(Image: YouTube/Rest is Football)
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The public nature of Manchester United's managerial search is a worrying sign of the state of the club, claims Alan Shearer. The former Newcastle striker is aghast that the club's pursuit of an interim option is common knowledge and signals issues at Old Trafford.
United have held talks with ex-players Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick over coming into the club until the end of the season. Carrick is the frontrunner to take charge of the club, having last managed Middlesbrough.
Darren Fletcher was temporarily placed in control of first-team matters following Ruben Amorim's sacking. The ex-Scotland international has failed to earn a win in matches against Burnley and Brighton as United crashed out of the FA Cup.
Shearer had a brutally honest assessment of the side following defeat to the Seagulls. The ex-England captain took aim at those off the pitch as well as on it.
"They're just not very good. That's the truth. The whole club, there's so many errors and mistakes," said Shearer on the Rest is Football podcast.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Michael Carrick are leading candidates to take charge Manchester United(Image: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
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Micah Richards offered in return: "I am looking here, Mount, Fernandes, Cunha and Sesko as your front four, it's good enough, isn't it?
"It should be, but it's not," Shearer bluntly said. "It's not a happy place.
"Fletcher is in there at the moment; he's had Burnley away and Brighton at home and drawn one of those. They've spoken to Michael Carrick and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over the weekend, I gather, in terms of the interim until the end of the season.
"How does everyone know what's going on? How does everyone know they've been spoken to and that's their plan? That in itself tells me there are issues. how's that getting out"
Sir Jim Ratcliffe with Omar Berrada and Jason Wilcox during the Premier League match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United at Molineux.
Shearer does not understand why United's plans are being made public(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
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Shearer also was left unconvinced by United's swap to a back four after Amorim's exit. "It turns out it wasn't five at the back that was the problem then?" he said.
"They weren't very good, Brighton were the better team. Danny Welbeck got a goal and an assist. They are what they are, aren't they?"
Current boss Fletcher acknowledges that the players require assistance to succeed during a challenging period. The United coach also said the squad needs to help themselves, however.
"It's a massive responsibility to lead this club, and I've given it my best and ultimately I'm disappointed to not be able to win a game or to get a result today," he said after Brighton.
"But I feel like there were some good things in there, we created a lot of chances, shots, things like that. But, ultimately, it wasn't enough.
"So I am more disappointed than anybody, really, because I care for the club and I want the club to do well and I want the players to do well.
"And I genuinely mean that, it's not about me. I've had my time as a player, it's in the bank now, it's done. Loved every minute of it, was very lucky.
"It's all about them. But we need to help them, the club need to help them, and they're going to need to help themselves."