Gerrard singles out six Manchester United players who are no longer good enough

Steven Gerrard has named six Manchester United players he considers unfit for the club’s standards, delivering one of the most pointed public critiques of a squad that has collected just seven points from their opening eight Premier League matches.

United’s 3-0 thrashing by Bournemouth on Sunday left them 16th in the table — their worst start to a league season since 1986/87 — and has intensified pressure on manager Michael Carrick, who survived crisis talks on Monday while the club’s hierarchy discuss potential replacements.

Speaking on The Overlap Daily, Gerrard turned his attention first to the defence. “Harry Maguire’s had a really good career, Luke Shaw — I played with Luke with England, he was top in his day,” he said. “They’re not Manchester United players anymore. They should have been moved on quicker.”

Gerrard also took aim at Lisandro Martinez, who he accused of prioritising personal interests over the team. “Last year, only interested in the World Cup. He’s come back, he’s seen that the players haven’t signed, the four or five that he wants… in his world. Selfishly comes out and speaks then gets injured, goes off at half-time with a kick [against Leeds] and he’s fit the next game. That stinks to me.”

The former Liverpool and England captain was equally damning about United’s summer signings, despite the club spending £155 million in the transfer window. He singled out Andrey Santos, signed from Chelsea for £50 million, as “not a Manchester United player”, and questioned the £70 million outlay on Carlos Baleba. “He’s got potential. He’s not ready to help Manchester United compete at the top of the league now,” Gerrard said.

Rounding out his six, Gerrard pointed to Amad Diallo on the wing. “When I played against United, you had Giggs, Beckham — world class players. Young Amad, hot and cold. When he’s good, he’s good. But hasn’t shown nothing this season.”

United’s only two victories this season have come against newly-promoted Ipswich and Champions League debutants Sabah, and back-to-back heavy defeats by Como and Bournemouth have underlined the scale of the rebuild required. Carrick’s position remains precarious, with former Newcastle manager Eddie Howe among the names being considered as a potential successor.