Why Gary Neville is becoming Man Utd's biggest problem

Suraj Radia

• Updated: 21 Nov 2024 14:49 CST
• 6 min read

Marcus Rashford has been the subject of more criticism from Manchester United legends after travelling to the USA during the international break.

Rashford was pictured at an NBA game in New York last Friday, having not been called up to the England squad, while midfielder Casemiro also spent time with his family at Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

The decision of both players was called out by Gary Neville, who felt the pair should have been resting and preparing for the first week of training under new manager Ruben Amorim.

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“The professionalism, looking after your body and making sure you’re best prepared for the next training session is critical to every decision you make during the season,” Neville said on the Stick to Football podcast.

“'He has got a mental break, he’s got to get away and has got to rest with friends - then you talk about the choice of venue, how far do you fly, what’s the time difference, is that going to give a jet lag issue, is that going to give a stiffness issue from being on a flight for 12 hours?

“They have chosen that international break. If you are talking about the minor details in being as professional as you can be and as prepared you can be for a training session on a Monday night, that isn’t the best choice of venue.”

Neville misguided in Rashford criticism

Rashford, Casemiro and Manchester United’s stars have regularly come under criticism on the podcast hosted by Neville, which often features former teammates such as Paul Scholes and Roy Keane.

Questions were rightly asked of United’s players during their poor form under Erik ten Hag in recent times but Neville’s criticism of Rashford’s travel during his time off appears to be ill-informed.

Neville quoted Rashford as travelling to Portland on the west coast of the USA but multiple sources have denied that the forward travelled that far, only being pictured in New York.

Regardless, while Neville’s point is a fair one, criticising Rashford for how he spends his time off was seen as harsh by many critics including podcast colleague Ian Wright, who insisted he would do the same as the United star and claimed it wasn’t a big issue.

United’s legends have been loud and regular critics of United and Neville perhaps needs to take responsibility for some of the toxic atmosphere surrounding the club in recent times.

If Neville and his colleagues truly want the best for United then they should operate with the self-awareness of their platform and the tension it can cause, particularly with a player like Rashford who has constantly struggled on and off the pitch.

At a time when United are in transition and looking for a fresh, positive start, Neville’s public negativity surrounding the players will only add to Amorim’s problems, leaving the club in a vicious cycle caused by its own legends.