- Alan Shearer likened United’s display against Newcastle to that of a ‘youth team’
- He said fans should be ‘really worried’ ahead of Sunday’s clash with Liverpool
- LISTEN NOW: It’s All Kicking Off! New formation, some new faces, but the optimism has gone at Old Trafford
Alan Shearer has delivered a scathing assessment of Manchester United’s recent performances, likening their display against Newcastle to that of a ‘youth team’ and warning fans they should be ‘really worried’ ahead of Sunday’s showdown with Liverpool.
Man United, under new manager Ruben Amorim, are enduring a torrid run of form, having lost their last four games across all competitions, conceding 11 goals along the way.
Their latest setback came in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle on Monday night, where the Magpies struck twice in the opening 20 minutes. Although United managed to avoid further damage, the result has done little to quell growing concerns.
Shearer was particularly critical of United’s showing at Old Trafford, branding it ‘really poor’ and predicting a grim outcome against Liverpool given there has been little time to improve.
Speaking to The Metro, Shearer said: ‘Newcastle went to Old Trafford and for 30 minutes made Man United look like a youth team, they were really that poor. I can’t see United improving that much to get anything from this game and I’d be amazed if they did.
‘I know it’s a huge fixture and it’s produced some great games over the years, but I can only see one winner in this game and it’s Liverpool. If United are as poor as they were in the opening half an hour against Newcastle, then you would be really worried for this one as a fan.
Alan Shearer has delivered a scathing assessment of Man United’s recent performances
Man United are enduring a torrid run of form, having lost their last four games in all competitions
Their latest setback came in a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle where the Magpies struck twice in the opening 20 minutes
‘They would have to improve massively, with the number of chances Liverpool create you would really fear for Man United in this one. I can’t see any other outcome than a Liverpool victory and scoring a few goals in the process.’
Amorim is aware United are facing an uphill battle when it comes to taking on Liverpool on Sunday afternoon but insists his side want to put on an ‘improved performance’.
Speaking ahead of the game, he said: ‘We had more time to train, two days in a row, to train with the team. I think that can help us, given the environment. Of course, it’s a difficult moment because we are losing too many matches.
‘We are going to face the best team this year but, like I said, we are training. We feel more the team, we prepare more the team and we want to improve the performance compared to the last game.
‘In football, [in] one game, anything can happen. If you talk about the season, then, almost every time, the best win. In the moment, they are better than us but we can win any game. We have to focus not on the context but on the performance.
‘What we have to do is simple things and I think we have to improve the simple things to play these kind of games. We have the responsibility to play to win the game.’
