Gary Neville hits out at 'red flag' spotted at Man United under Ruben Amorim

Gary Neville has not held back in his critique of Manchester United's performance in their first match under new coach Ruben Amorim against Ipswich Town on Sunday.

Despite Marcus Rashford's quick goal putting the Red Devils ahead just 80 seconds into the game, they ended up with a 1-1 draw at Portman Road. Neville highlighted ongoing issues within the team during a discussion with David Jones and Jamie Carragher in the Sky Sports studio before Monday Night Football, pointing out that these problems haven't suddenly appeared but have been present for months and even the last season and a half.

He said: "It's a team that is very difficult to actually like watching, and I say that with respect because I genuinely do believe what Ruben Amorim said at the end of the game. No football player goes out onto the pitch and wants to lose or doesn't want to win or work hard or do well. They don't want criticism."

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Despite acknowledging international duty had limited Amorim's preparation time, Neville was candid in his opinion that Ipswich, struggling near the bottom of the Premier League without any home wins this season, seemed better coached than United. He concluded by expressing his distress over Manchester United's appearance, even within the new system applied for the match.

"But you watch them play, even yesterday, in the new system, and you look at Ipswich, who are very near the bottom of the league," Neville added. "They looked more organised, [like they had a] better coach, they looked like they had more appetite for the game and more enthusiasm.

"And that's a constant, and it has been a constant, not just, obviously, on Sunday, but a constant for the last year and a half, two years, three years. So we've got a situation where these group of players, to be honest with you, have created a pattern for themselves and become what they are."

Neville did not hide his concerns, stressing that the issues at Manchester United weren't new. He continued: "And it wasn't just a red flag yesterday because the same things that we've seen in the last six to eight months, 10 months, we saw yesterday.

"With Ruben Amorim being the manager, he saw it as well. I think he obviously knew how big a job this was. I think he recognised that yesterday. It will get better in the next few weeks because, like you say, that back five that he picks, and I'm not talking about the actual wing-backs here.

"I'm talking about the three at the back and the two in midfield. That will become more energetic and better when the personnel changes occur but there's a long way to go. I think Roy [Keane] yesterday said that Manchester United were an average team, and that's being kind."

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