Manchester United legend Gary Neville has sharply criticized his former side following their 4-2 pre-season defeat to AC Milan in Wroclaw, Poland. The result marked the third consecutive match without a victory for the Red Devils, who struggled to contain an AC Milan squad that was missing several key starters.
The match began promisingly for United, with Harry Maguire opening the scoring in the second minute. Samuel Chukwueze leveled for Milan in the 37th minute, and although Patrick Dorgu restored United’s lead shortly after halftime, the team collapsed defensively. Within a frantic 14-minute window, Alphadjo Cisse, Goncalo Ramos, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek all found the net to secure the win for the Italian side.
Following the conclusion of their sixth pre-season friendly, Neville expressed his disappointment, suggesting the United players were overly focused on the challenge of facing former manager Ruben Amorim. AC Milan dominated the proceedings with 61% possession, utilizing a 3-4-3 formation that saw them complete 522 passes at 91% accuracy and land nine of their 13 shots on target. In contrast, Michael Carrick’s side, operating in a 4-2-3-1 system, managed only 303 completed passes at 83% accuracy and recorded six shots on target.
Addressing the performance, Carrick spoke to MUTV regarding the tactical shortcomings observed during the loss. Meanwhile, transfer speculation continues to surround the club. Reports from talkSPORT indicate that United are unlikely to pursue Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba, leaving Newcastle United as the frontrunners for his signature. The club has already invested £85 million this summer to bring in midfielders Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans, with goalkeeper Karl Darlow also joining on a free transfer following his departure from Leeds United. The club remains linked to other targets, including Manu Kone and Eduardo Camavinga.
Earlier this Saturday (August 15), Manchester United failed to win for the third time in a row.
As a result, Newcastle United are now in pole position to rope in the Cameroonian midfielder.
