- Alan Shearer has questioned the attitude of Manchester United’s core players
- Erik ten Hag’s side suffered a limp 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United on Saturday
- Manchester United in a mess – they have a collapse in them – It’s All Kicking Off
Alan Shearer has questioned the attitude of Manchester United’s players in the wake of their 1-0 defeat at Newcastle United.
Anthony Gordon got the game’s only goal in the 55th minute, with the hosts holding on for the vital win over Erik ten Hag’s Man United despite losing goalkeeper Nick Pope to injury.
Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, Shearer said that the Red Devils had no ‘characters’ to lead their team through tough times, as well as questioning attitudes among Ten Hag’s camp.
Shearer said: ‘They [Newcastle] absolutely battered Man United in wide areas. [Kieran] Trippier and [Tino] Livramento were sensational against [Aaron] Wan-Bissaka and [Diogo] Dalot.
‘In their defence, they got no help whatsoever from [Alejandro] Garnacho and [Marcus] Rashford.
‘Rashford didn’t look at it at all – didn’t look interested. It happened so many times. Newcastle created so many chances and they should have had many goals.
‘For me, there are too many bad eggs in that Man United team. Too many bad attitudes.
‘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.
‘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.’
Manchester United’s attitude issues spread to all areas of the park, with Ten Hag fuming at Anthony Martial for failing to track back, before hauling the striker off.
On TNT Sports, Jermaine Jenas suggested that some of the players were using their body language to send a message to the Dutchman.
‘I personally thought tonight there were signs that there were a couple of players in there for me that either wasn’t happy with the tactics that was put to them or wasn’t happy with their positions on the pitch,’ the TNT Sports pundit said.
‘The body language of a team tells you a lot at times and there were a few of them that were sending a message to the manager.’
Manchester United’s next outing is a home fixture against Chelsea on Wednesday night, the first of three consecutive games at Old Trafford, culminating in a critical Champions League game against Bayern Munich.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
