Former Arsenal and Chelsea midfielder Emmanuel Petit has torn into the state of Manchester United in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era.
The Red Devils look like having another difficult season ahead after a poor start to 2019/20, with Petit laying the blame at the players more than the manager.
Doubts will no doubt soon surface over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s future at Old Trafford, but Petit has slammed the quality and mentality of these current Man Utd players.
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There’s no doubt this squad lacks characters like Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic and others who made United into such relentless winners under Ferguson.
Petit played against some of those great MUFC sides during his days in the Premier League, and the Frenchman is clearly unimpressed with the state of the club now.
“Since Alex Ferguson left I don’t recognise Manchester United any more. They should scare their opponents – they haven’t done that for a long time,” Petit told Paddy Power, as quoted by the Daily Star.
“I’m very surprised about this, because they’ve been spending so much money. Yet the profile of the players is not what United expect – especially when it comes to the fans and former players.
“I remember back in the day when you had to play against United, you always knew you were going out to face the best footballers in the Premier League – and probably in Europe.
“Some of the players at the time were among the best in the world in their position – now I’m wondering: where are those United players with character, who enjoy responsibility? Who play with imagination, creativity, and who have a great mentality on top of that. I used to see that all the time at United.
“Now, you only ever briefly see the light of the team before it disappears straight away.”
United fans will be hoping their team can improve in time for Monday night’s big clash against Arsenal at Old Trafford.