"I've watched Manchester United since the age of five and that's the worst 15 minutes I've ever seen. Absolutely pathetic." Gary Neville did not hold back in his criticism of the Manchester United's performance during Sky Sports' coverage of Sunday's 1-1 draw at Fulham. The players had just laboured through the opening period of the second half, culminating in a Lisandro Martinez own goal gifting the home side the lead.
"I've never seen such a lack of effort," Neville added. "What must Michael Carrick be thinking?" Neville played 602 games for United over a 19-year career, winning everything the club game had to offer. So his criticism comes from a qualified position.
This season's out-of-possession stats would appear to back it up too, with the Red Devils ranking 16th for distance covered, and 17th for total number of sprints. How did United play under Carrick when they were winning games towards the end of last season? And, as Neville makes the headlines, what does this say about his influence in the media around Manchester United?
United's dismal running and sprinting stats made for stark reading in the wake of Neville's criticism. After all, the former right-back had directly questioned a lack of effort, and referred to the players as "mannequins". He said United - and Fulham - were walking too much during the game.
In the Premier League this season only four teams have covered less distance than the Red Devils, and just three teams have produced fewer sprints. It comes alongside United's joint-worst start to a Premier League season, with four points from five games. So is this down to the running and the effort?
Let's take a look at the second half of last season, after Carrick had been appointed as manager. Between 17 January and the end of the season, United picked up more points than any other team - 39 points from 17 games. Yet only four teams ran less than United, and only two clubs had fewer sprints.
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