"Terrible" - Gary Neville delivers damning verdict on two Manchester United stars after derby defeat
Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville was left unimpressed by Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard during their 4-1 defeat to Manchester City on Sunday. The two stars had little to no impact when they were introduced as second-half substitutes in place of Paul Pogba and Anthony Elanga.
Speaking on Sky Sports (via the Metro) following the Manchester derby, Gary Neville said:
"I thought they were better with Pogba and Fernandes up front than they were when Rashford came on. I thought they were even worse when Rashford and Lingard came on. I thought they were terrible."
"What I would say is when he changed it to a more traditional system and brought Rashford on put Lingard out on the right and Sancho to the left, that was worse."
Marcus Rashford is currently having an underwhelming season and has struggled for minutes under Ralf Rangnick. This is despite the club sending Anthony Martial on loan and Mason Greenwood being suspended. As things stand, 19-year-old Anthony Elanga is higher in the pecking order than Rashford.
Rashford has started the last four league matches on the bench and has failed to come on the pitch once (against Leeds United at Elland Road).
Speaking about Rashford's poor season, Neville added:
"That’s got to be the ultimate put down for Marcus Rashford today. With four other centre forwards he started the season with not here and he still can’t get into the side. It tells you where Rashford is at, where Rangnick thinks he is at."
The moment Rashford and Lingard came on, Manchester United went back another step.
Substitutions are supposed to uplift the team.
Jesse Lingard, on the other hand, has rarely been used by Ralf Rangnick. The 29-year-old has less than six months remaining on his current Manchester United contract. He is expected to leave Old Trafford at the end of the season.
Manchester United drop out of Premier League top four following defeat to Manchester City
Manchester United have dropped out of the top four following their defeat in the Manchester derby. Arsenal's 3-2 win over Watford was enough for them to leapfrog the Red Devils into the Champions League positions.
As things stand, Manchester United are fifth in the Premier League standings, having amassed 47 points from 28 matches. They are currently a point behind fourth-placed Arsenal. However, it is worth noting that the Gunners have three games in hand over the Red Devils.
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Manchester United have another difficult game ahead of themselves. Ralf Rangnick's side host Tottenham Hotspur next weekend in another crucial clash in the Premier League top-four race.