Hernandez backs Carrick but slams United players for failing to give 'everything' after 4-4 Villa draw

Javier Hernandez has urged greater scrutiny of Manchester United’s players rather than focusing solely on head coach Michael Carrick, whose position remains precarious after Sunday’s 4-4 draw with Aston Villa left the club inside the Premier League relegation zone.

The former United striker, speaking before the Villa match, said the responsibility for the club’s dire start to the season must be shared by the playing squad. “I think we need to be more critical of players, regardless of the tactics and the management and the ownership,” Hernandez said. “Players, man, if you are here, you need to prove why you are here, regardless of which position you play and regardless of which tactics your manager is putting into you.”

Hernandez drew on his own experience at Old Trafford to make the point, recalling the standards demanded under Sir Alex Ferguson. “In those tough moments it wasn’t about if Sir Alex Ferguson did good or bad in strategy or tactics, it was more about the players needing to perform,” he said. “After this white line and the whistle blows, there is nothing more the manager can do.”

The Mexican also took aim at what he described as a culture of complaint within the current dressing room. “I have seen a lot of complaints about tactics and strategies and some things where I am saying: ‘Oh my God, in my time, if you don’t perform someone else is going to do it, you might go back to Mexico and the story is going to change.’”

Carrick’s tenure has been turbulent since the season began. A 3-0 defeat to Bournemouth last month triggered crisis talks on October 26, after which the board handed him a stay of execution contingent on improved results. United subsequently lost 2-0 at Chelsea — with Lisandro Martinez sent off in the second half — before beating Roma in the Champions League after coming back from two goals down. The 4-4 draw with Villa, in which United twice fought back from two goals behind only to concede a late equaliser, did little to ease the pressure.

Despite his criticism of the squad, Hernandez stopped short of calling for Carrick’s dismissal, backing his former teammate to keep his job. The source article was truncated before his full verdict was published, but the thrust of his argument was clear: the players, not the manager alone, must answer for United’s position.