Neville 'seen enough' of Tielemans and Mainoo after United squander lead against 10-man Spurs

Manchester United were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford on Saturday, with Dominic Solanke’s 92nd-minute header cancelling out Bryan Mbeumo’s 73rd-minute opener and leaving United winless in their last four Premier League games.

The result prompted a furious reaction from sections of the Old Trafford crowd, who greeted the final whistle with boos. United have now won just one of their Premier League fixtures this season, a record made all the more damaging given that Spurs finished the game a man short after Rodrigo Bentancur was sent off for an altercation with Luke Shaw in the 78th minute.

Former United full-back Gary Neville was scathing in his assessment, singling out midfielders Youri Tielemans and Kobbie Mainoo. “Tielemans and Mainoo, I think we’ve seen enough of it now — not calling time on it, that’s probably too drastic. But I’ve seen enough of it to think, ‘that’s not dynamic enough to play at this football club in the Premier League’,” he said on The Gary Neville Podcast.

Neville acknowledged both players’ quality but questioned whether they complement each other. “They’re both good players by the way. But sometimes they don’t knit together or suit together. When [Carlos] Baleba came on that looked like a lot more energy.”

The pundit also took aim at the broader squad mentality, warning that the same display in the Champions League would be punished severely. “Not running enough, they’re not showing enough tenacity, determination and fighting spirit,” he said. “What we are seeing at the moment is a team that looks like they are curling up in a ball and the club, for some of them right now, is getting a bit big for them.”

Neville reserved particular concern for United’s upcoming midweek Champions League fixture. “If you don’t show energy or enthusiasm, you’ll get eaten alive there,” he warned, before adding that players such as Amad, Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha, and Bruno Fernandes were capable of far more than they had shown.

Neville also noted the visible alarm of assistant coach Michael Carrick on the touchline, suggesting the footage of Carrick’s reaction told its own story about the mood inside the United camp.