Manchester United were beaten 4-1 by Newcastle on Sunday afternoon, with Nicky Butt accusing the players of failing to show they care during the defeat
Nicky Butt ripped into Manchester United’s flops and suggested no player showed “they cared” during their thrashing at Newcastle. The Red Devils headed to St. James’ Park looking to return to winning ways but were handed a resounding 4-1 defeat, despite Alejandro Garnacho’s goal keeping them level at half-time.
The second half saw Harvey Barnes net twice and Bruno Guimaraes adding a fourth for the hosts after an error from Altay Bayindir. The Turkish keeper was given a chance due to Andre Onana being dropped, yet he failed to impress.
For the first time in almost a century, Newcastle completed a league double over United. Following their 14th Premier League loss this term, Butt lambasted Ruben Amorim’s squad while on pundit duty.
Speaking to Premier League Productions, Butt indicated that United didn’t look like they cared during the match against Newcastle, highlighting a deficit in athleticism within Ruben Amorim’s floundering team, reports the Manchester Evening News.
“It is easy to sit there and apologise but for me if you go on a football pitch you have to do something about it,” Butt reflected. “I did not expect Man United to come here and win. Newcastle are a better team, better individuals, better athletically, more power, more pace.”
READ MORE: Bruno Fernandes puts positive spin on Newcastle thrashing – ‘I prefer Man Utd losing this way’READ MORE: Bruno Guimaraes taunts Bruno Fernandes with four-word message after scoring against Man Utd
The former United star didn’t mince his words, expressing disbelief at the team’s performance: “I don’t know how Man United go on the football pitch and allow it to happen. I came here [as a player] and lost 5-0, so it can happen. But allowing it to happen is something different, I didn’t see one tackle or one bit of aggression. I didn’t see anybody go head to head with anybody.”
He went on to criticise the lack of fight in the team: “You have to at least go and show that we are not going to accept this lying down. They just lay down and let themselves get beat too easily. They have no power and no pace, it is sad to see. I see Christian Eriksen who was a top player and now can’t move, can’t run.”
Commenting on the opposition’s strength, he said: “The midfield of Newcastle is so powerful. I didn’t see a Man United team that were prepared to go and kick somebody and show that they care. For me it’s walking football. It’s too passive, there’s no energy It’s slow.”
Butt didn’t hold back as he continued his critique: “It was too easy. Harvey Barnes ran right through the middle of the pitch, that can’t happen. He should have been thinking he should have passed to Isak for the goal but it was that easy for him.
“They played most of the second half playing passes on the edge of their own box playing three yard passes. It’s just boring to watch. As top class players, when do they realise with their own brains that we can’t pass the ball next to our own box because we will concede goals.”
Butt concluded with a call for more direct play: “Clip some balls up the pitch, at least try to get the balls in the right areas. Somebody has to have the nous to clip some balls up the channels they don’t even do that.
“You can’t blame the manager for that, with 52,000 you can’t hear the manager, so somebody has to take control of the game. They are not good enough to play on the edge of their own box and they keep doing it. It was ridiculous.”
United are up next against Lyon in their Europa League quarter-final second leg on Thursday after drawing 2-2 in France.
Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
