Neville criticized Manchester United players for their lack of alertness on the pitch.

Manchester United drew 1-1 with Fulham in a key match of the fifth round of the 2026/27 Premier League season, thanks to an own goal by Lisandro and a goal from Cunha. Former Premier League player Neville stated that the Manchester United players were too disorganized and lacked alertness during the game, and also believed that Carrick should not blindly defend the players' performance.

After only managing one win, two draws, and two losses in the first five rounds of the new Premier League season, Manchester United are currently ranked 12th in the standings with five points.

Manchester United legend Neville said, "I've never seen Manchester United so disorganized off the ball, but Carrick previously said there was no problem with the team's energy. Carrick must stop protecting his own players. I understand why he's doing this; he's loyal to his players and wants them to play for him, and the season is still long."

"Both teams were in similar situations at the time, and I even called them mannequins. I've never seen Manchester United players pacing around on the pitch like that. They lacked alertness, energy, and the readiness to act that players should always be on the pitch."

Carrick pointed out, "When Fulham had possession, they just wandered around the pitch aimlessly. Fulham completed 46 passes in the first few minutes of the game and then got a shot on goal. I don't know how many consecutive passes of 10 or more Fulham made in that game, but this international break is the perfect time for Manchester United to readjust."

“I rarely say a team isn’t working hard enough or lacking commitment, but that’s the harshest criticism you can give a group of players. I’m always very careful when I say these things, but in the first 15 minutes of the second half, and overall in the first 60 minutes, Manchester United were really bad. They simply didn’t perform up to par when they were off the ball.”

Carrick continued, "Nobody is putting pressure on Carrick right now, but if this kind of performance continues, he'll find himself in a very big mess, and his players will have to work even harder for him. I hope Carrick can put all those offensive players on the court, but they'll drive him crazy on the defensive end."

“It’s not just a problem with the defense and the back four. Mbourneau and Rashford are too wide and they can’t get back from the center in time. Tielemans and Coby Menu in midfield are too slow, maybe Baleba will move into that position. Bruno Fernandes is wandering around, as is Cunha.”

In addition, Carrick said, "If they can score a lot of goals and maybe only concede one or two, and then win the game, that would be great. But from a defensive point of view, they have to readjust because too many players are just wandering around the pitch."

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