‘Odd bunch’ – Neville claims Man Utd trio are ‘still not great’; makes Champions League prediction

Gary Neville on Man Utd

Gary Neville thinks Manchester United have an “odd bunch” of players and three of their in-form players are “still not great”.

The Red Devils endured an awful first half of the season as they prematurely exited the Champions League and Carabao Cup. They also found themselves floundering away from the top-four places.

Erik ten Hag was coming under increasing pressure but United’s form has picked up just as it looked like the Dutchman was on the brink of being sacked.

Man Utd are unbeaten in six games across all competitions and they have won three Premier League games in a row to boost their Champions League hopes.

On Sunday afternoon, Ten Hag’s side earned a vital victory over fifth-placed Aston Villa. Rasmus Hojlund’s opener was cancelled out by Douglas Luiz before Scott McTominay came off the bench to score a late winner in United’s 2-1 victory.

Man Utd are now just six points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with 12 games of the season remaining.

Hojlund is one of the Premier League’s form players as he has five goals and two assists in his last five appearances. Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho have also struggled at times this season but all three players are performing better at the moment.

Despite this, Neville has indicated that the three attackers are “still not great” as they do not play in “patterns or combinations”.

“The front three look more settled – Hojlund, Rashford and Garnacho,” Neville said on Sky Sports.

“They’re better than they were, but they’re still not great. You still don’t see any patterns or combinations. They concede so many chances.

“They don’t control games. They don’t keep possession better than other teams. But they do have players who can win matches.

“They’re a bit of an odd bunch. They just play in moments during matches.”

When asked about Man Utd’s top-four hopes, Neville suggested that they “have got a chance” if “they can keep their players fit”.

He added: “We are now at the business end of the season.

“It’s been so up and down for United. We are at the stage where they are six-pointers.

“They could’ve been out of it but as they go over to those United fans, they go within five points and touching distance of being able to catch them [Villa].”

“If they can keep their players fit, which is a big question mark because it looks like they’ve lost another two in Shaw and Martinez in the last week, then they have got a chance.”

Speaking post-match, Erik ten Hag claimed Man Utd can “beat any opponent home or away”.

“I think we can beat any opponent away or home,” Ten Hag told reporters.

“But sometimes away we have to believe it more because then we could have won in Arsenal, where actually we deserved to win.

“We could have won in Liverpool and it’s about belief and I think this team today believed they could win this game and that’s why I think, in the end, you win the game.”