Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville slammed Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford after their uninspiring cameo performances in Sunday's 4-1 defeat to Manchester City, insisting they were "terrible."
The duo stepped off the bench during the second-half as United pushed for a second equaliser after Kevin De Bruyne had netted his second goal of the game to almost immediately wipe out Jadon Sancho's first-half leveller. Lingard replaced Anthony Elanga and Rashford was brought on to replace Paul Pogba.
Within four minutes of their introductions, City extended their lead, making it 3-1, through Riyad Mahrez. The Algerian connected excellently with De Bruyne's corner and saw his volleyed effort find the back of the net after a slight deflection.
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Mahrez added his second and City's fourth in the final minute of regulation time, although the contest had long since been over for United. The Reds switched off after Mahrez's first of the contest and failed to lay a glove on Pep Guardiola's side, with City dominating possession to a chorus of 'ole's from the home fans.
Considering United interim chief Ralf Rangnick sent Lingard and Rashford on to help United push for an equaliser, they failed to have the desired effect. They were both guilty of appearing too relaxed and almost disinterested.
"I thought they were better with Pogba and [Bruno] Fernandes up front than they were when Rashford came on," Neville told Sky Sports. "I thought they were even worse when Rashford and Lingard came on.
"I thought they were terrible."
Rashford has struggled for form and consistency throughout this season and has looked a shadow of his usual self. Back in January, pundits and fans alike were genuinely concerned about his welfare, with his performances having taken such a nosedive.
However, Neville believes the fact that he was left out of the starting line-up against City gave a clear indication of where Rangnick believes the England international is currently at.
Neville continued: "That's got to be the ultimate put down for Marcus Rashford today. With four other centre-forwards he started the season with not here, he still can't get into the side.
"It tells you where Rashford is at, where Rangnick thinks he is at."
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