Gary Neville admits he is still ‘not wholly convinced’ by Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United after being left ‘shocked’ by their Premier League defeat to Aston Villa.
United’s promising run under Ten Hag came to an abrupt end in Birmingham on Sunday as Unai Emery enjoyed a dream debut as Aston Villa manager.
Villa had not beaten Manchester United at home since 1995 but scored twice inside 12 minutes on their way to an impressive 3-1 victory.
While the result sees Aston Villa climb three points and five places above the relegation zone, United stay fifth, three points outside the top-four.
Neville insists there has been promising signs at Old Trafford under Ten Hag but remains ‘unconvinced’ by the team and says suggestions that United are ‘back’ are premature.
Speaking on the Sky Sports Gary Neville podcast, he said: ‘I’m surprised by that today. Well done to Unai Emery, it’s a fantastic result for Aston Villa. He’s a world-class manager and he’s come in and got a big result.
‘I’m surprised for Manchester United, I thought they would beat Villa, that has shocked me a little bit.
‘It’s a dip. Overall, I’m not wholly convinced by United at all. This idea that United are back, they’re not. They’re nowhere near Man City.
‘They’re more watchable and have got a bit more fight. [Christian] Eriksen has brought real quality in midfield and [Lisandro] Martinez has done fantastic at the back, he’s brought real tenacity.
‘But they keep getting injuries at the back and that’s a real problem. Also, United’s front three are the weakest out of the top-six in my opinion.
‘I think Ten Hag is getting the maximum out of them. He needs two or three years in the job and a few transfer windows. There’s signs they’re getting better but they’re not back.
‘Back is when you’re challenging at the top and when you are a really fantastic football team. That’s not happening right now.
‘Ten Hag will recognise that the team are far away from where he wants them to be, but there is an energy and a spirit that wasn’t there before. Things are better but they’re not back.’
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