Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer's damning 'Tottenham or Man Utd' verdict speaks volumes

Tottenham and Manchester United are both having seasons to forget, but Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer identified a detail that is more concerning for the Red Devils

Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer agree that Tottenham are closer to moving in the right direction than Manchester United – which speaks volumes about the huge task Ruben Amorim has on his hands.

Both clubs have endured a torrid Premier League season up to now. United are currently in 13th place on 26 points, with their new head coach Amorim having admitted his side could well be the “worst” in the club’s history after their 3-1 home defeat to Brighton on Sunday.

Spurs, meanwhile, have fared even worse in the league during Ange Postecoglou’s second season in charge, now down in 15th place on 24 points despite finishing fifth last season. The Australian has suffered two straight Premier League losses, taking their total defeats in the league to a whopping 12.

But despite the grim situation both managers are facing, Match of the Day presenter Lineker and pundit Shearer still give Tottenham the edge when asked which club is closer to where they want to be in the long term, even with all the animosity towards Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

Ex-Spurs striker Lineker said on the latest episode of The Rest Is Football podcast: “I think if you had everyone fit then Tottenham are in a better place than Manchester United. I think if I look at the overall squad then they’ve probably got a little bit more than United.”

He added: “United need to do more in the transfer market. Obviously both of them are in a bit of a rut at the present,” before Shearer chimed in with: “I wouldn’t disagree with that. If they ever get their players back to fitness, they’re slightly better than Manchester United’s first XI.”

Along with pointing out how dire the situation currently is at United to be worse off than a 15th-placed side, their comments are also a scathing criticism of the Red Devils’ recruitment strategy. United splurged around £200million on five new signings last summer, yet they find themselves in a worse position than last season.

Part of the reason for their woeful form, with Amorim losing seven games since arriving in November, is that none of the current players are actually his signings, meaning some of them are unable to play his way of football. Should the United hierarchy persist with Amorim, it will take several transfer windows before they are able to see clear signs of progress.

According to The Athletic, Amorim let rip at his players behind closed doors after Sunday’s defeat. His frustrations boiled over as he 'fiercely voiced’ his anger at his team and showed his frustrations physically towards a TV used to go through tactics.

Postecoglou, meanwhile, has had four transfer windows to build his squad – which has been decimated by injuries as 11 key players are currently sidelined. The head coach has cut a dejected figure all season, saying after last week’s 2-1 north London derby loss: “It's how things are going at the moment. We were nowhere near where we want to be."

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