Gary Neville: 'Man Utd midfield doesn't exist'
"The Man Utd midfield doesn't exist, it's empty," Gary Neville told Sky Sports after Man Utd's win over Wolves on August 14. "In pre-season, everything looked good with Mason Mount and Bruno Fernandes coming up high, leaving Casemiro below. But the problem showed in the opening game of the season. You have to have balance."
Man Utd's 1-0 win over Wolves was marked by luck. The "Red Devils" kicked at home but could not impose the game, letting the opponent finish 23 times, including six times hitting the goal. Wolves once hit the post and was denied a penalty by the referee at the end of the game, when goalkeeper Andre Onana punched striker Sasa Kalajdzic in the head in the penalty area. It was thanks to Raphael Varane's header in the 76th minute that "Red Devils" had the first three points. Before that, the host did not hit the goal once.
Man Utd's midfield includes rookie Mason Mount paired with Casemiro, Bruno Fernandes plays higher and the attacking trio Garnacho - Marcus Rashford - Anthony. "Red Devils" lack cohesion in attack and indiscretion in defense. The line between the hosts many times let Matheus Nunes and Matheus Cunha pull the ball straight into the middle, creating many dangerous opportunities.
"Three offensive players don't defend hard enough," added Neville. "It's a real concern because Wolves played really badly last season and just changed champions a few days ago. A lot of people are worried about their season, but they played better than Man Utd today."
In defense, Lisandro Martinez was injured and had to leave the field after the first half. Former captain Harry Maguire is on the reserve list, but it is Victor Lindelof who has been selected to replace Martinez.
Man Utd previously reached an agreement to sell Maguire to West Ham, but the 30-year-old midfielder wants to stay and compete for the starting position instead of reducing his salary when he moves to a new club. Neville thinks that the substitution move of coach Erik ten Hag seems to want to "fire" Maguire away. "There's no doubt they're trying to get Maguire out of the club," Neville said.
