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Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed new manager Ruben Amorim has noticed some bad habits often displayed by his players following Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Ipswich Town.
Marcus Rashford and Omari Hutchinson traded first-half goals at Portman Road to ensure the two sides shared the spoils.
As a result, United finished in 12th place, six points off the Champions League qualification spot.
While there were some positives to take from the game, it’s clear that Amorim has a huge task ahead of them to ensure their current players are consistently performing at a high level.
In his post-match comments, Amorim warned that there would be a long period of pain and suffering before things eventually get better.
The Portuguese manager also assured supporters that he will stick to his principles to make United a competitive team once again.
Speech on Sky Sports (via) Manchester Evening News), Neville claimed United were far less organized against Ipswich, were poorly coached and failed to match the hosts’ desire for all three points. According to him, Amorim saw three things.
“The red flags that were there yesterday were probably in a team that has actually been very difficult to watch over the last few months and the last season and a half,” Neville said on Sky.
“And I say this with respect because I truly believe what Ruben Amorim said at the end of the game. “No football player goes out on the field and wants to lose or win or work hard or do well.”
“They don’t want criticism. But watching the new system play yesterday, Ipswich, bottom of the league, looked more organized and better coached. They seem to have more interest and passion for the game.”
“And that was a constant, a constant. Obviously it’s not just on Sundays, it’s been a constant for the last year and a half, two years, three years. So we got to a point where, quite frankly, this group of players created a pattern for themselves and became what they are.”
Neville added: “And it’s not just the red flags yesterday, it’s the same thing we’ve seen over the last six, eight, 10 months, because when Ruben Amorim looked at it as manager yesterday, he saw it too.”
“He (Amorim) clearly knew how big a deal this was, but he probably realized it yesterday too.”
United return to Europa League action on Thursday when they host FK Bodø/Glimt at Old Trafford.
Featured Image Richard Pelham (Getty Images)
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